‘We Are The Dirtiest Country In The World’: Shenaz Treasury’s Sri Lanka Vlog Sparks Debate Over India’s Cleanliness

Travel vlogger Shenaz Treasury has sparked a debate online after sharing a video from one of Sri Lanka’s railway station and comparing its cleanliness with India. Her blunt remark in the clip led to divided reactions, with some agreeing that India struggles with civic sense while others felt the comparison was unfair.

The video was filmed at Ella railway station, a popular tourist spot in Sri Lanka known for scenic train journeys and backpacker tourism. In the clip, foreign tourists can be seen walking around the station, taking photos and waiting for trains in a calm and clean setting.

Shenaz Made A Blunt Remark

As Shenaz walked through the station recording the surroundings, she pointed out how clean and organised the place looked. She then said,

“Let’s face it. We are the dirtiest country.”

The statement quickly spread across social media platforms, especially X, where users began discussing cleanliness, tourism and civic behaviour in India.

Many users agreed with her observation and said cleanliness continues to be a major issue in several Indian cities and tourist locations. Some pointed out that even beautiful destinations in India often struggle with littering, overcrowding and poor sanitation.

Social Media Users Compared India and Sri Lanka

Several people also praised Sri Lanka for maintaining cleaner public spaces and having better civic sense.

A user wrote, “Not only just clean. Have been to Sri Lanka few times. Safe for women – solo travelers. Have seen two wheelers, three wheelers have high civic sense when parking. They park without disrupting/blocking road.”

Another said, “Littering is not the only factor. Fake attitude, lack of hospitality, fake masculinity, and always in the news for wrong reasons like rape and communal violence are the main factor driving tourists away from India.”

A user commented, “There is big misconception that Sri Lanka is just like India. No. Only people look similar. Otherwise SL is way cleaner and has 100 times better civic sense than Indians. Road side vendors use gloves in SL the beaches are clean dustbins everywhere. India should learn.”

Others said the problem is not just about the government but also public behaviour. “Public is littering public places government is littering the whole system,” a user wrote.

Some People Disagreed Strongly

Not everyone supported Shenaz’s statement. Many social media users argued that comparing the whole of India with a small tourist town in Sri Lanka was unfair.

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Several people highlighted clean Indian cities and tourist destinations like Indore, Mysuru, Gangtok and parts of the Northeast where cleanliness standards are often praised.

A user wrote, “Umm..wrong info, India gets around 20.5 million tourists every year, whereas Sri Lanka gets around 2 million, and it’s been consistently good for 3-4 years like this, in fact we can expect more.”

Another said, “We people are also responsible for this. Irrespective of the state or central government whatever they do, its every citizen’s responsibility to keep the surroundings safe and neat. Civic sense development would play a major role here.”

Some users also pointed out the huge population difference between the two countries. “The country who bears 1.5 billion people in just 5 trillion economy… Your expectations are limitless… Increase that economy by 1% first & than speak,” a person wrote.

Another commented, “Yes they are clean, I accept but comparing India-Sri Lanka complete bullshit bcz Sri Lanka has 80 million people whereas India 1.45 billion, and next main thing that entire country is dependent in tourism 2/3 country depends on tourism so its valid they have to maintain.”

Several users said the issue is not a lack of beautiful places, but how public spaces are maintained and treated in everyday life.