Indian Eco-warrior fights water crisis by revitalising dying ponds

A 26-year-old engineering student is tackling India’s water scarcity problem by working with locals to clean and rejuvenate polluted ponds and lakes.

26-Yr-Old engineer revives polluted ponds to tackle water crisis

26-year-old Ramveer Tanwar, an engineer from Dadha village in Greater Noida, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is on a mission to help solve India’s severe water scarcity crisis. The problem of shrinking water resources has become a major issue around the country, and India is currently suffering from the worst water crisis in its history. Reports also suggest that Delhi and Bangalore could completely run out of groundwater by 2020. 

Moved by the plight of dwindling number of lakes, and the sorry state of those few that remained, Tanwar began the cleaning and rejuvenation process of these precious resources, and so far he has spearheaded the revival of dozens of lakes and ponds since 2014.

What started from just one village, now covers about 50 villages

Many lakes had dried up due to pollution, and neither the government nor citizens had taken any action to prevent this from happening. So Tanwar began campaigning to educate villagers on the importance of water conservation. He believed that by teaching people, the situation could get better. 

“Due to lack of awareness, people in the village would waste water incessantly. They are doing this out of ignorance. Fining them for this is not a solution,” he told The logical Indian.

Tanwar made the most impact on solving the issue when, in addition to talking to villagers, he decided to team up with them and began reviving dead waterbeds around the district.

He also observed that since a lot of plastic was dumped directly into these lakes, the process of underground water recharging was getting hampered. 

“We then devised a simple double filtration system. So any water entering the lakes would have to pass through a mesh of wooden planks and then a mesh of grass.”

The mesh of wooden planks help to stop bigger items like plastic bottles and the subsequent mesh then filters the incoming water further. This year itself, Ramveer has been able to revive three-four more lakes.

What started from just one village, now covers about 50 villages. “The Uttar Pradesh government has made groups called the “Bhujal Sena” (Groundwater army) in every district. I have been appointed as the coordinator of my district.”

Since he began this initiative in 2014, Tanwar has organised the cleaning of dozens of ponds and lakes, helping villagers regain access to water supply.

Not only has he been praised for his actions in India, but he’s also gaining recognition around the world, for showing an example of taking action to solve important issues.

Source: TheLogicalIndian | BoredPanda 

Ramveer’s team has proudly covered 50 villages over the last 5 years

"If not now then when?" proclaimed Ramveer Tanwar through his insightful TEDx Talk presenting facts about diminishing ponds. Creating consciousness, he makes his audience realise their moral obligation to preserve the ecosystem for posterity. 

By setting a live example, he motivates youngsters to participate in projects initiated to conserve and preserve the planet from the effects of climate change.

The resuscitation of over a dozen ponds, dying a silent death with garbage dumps and encroachments, is credited to the Good Samaritan Ramveer Tanwar, a Mechanical Engineer in Greater NOIDA, who quit his plush multinational corporate job to dedicate his life to the herculean task of water conservation.

Moved by the plight of lakes and ponds, Ramveer’s team has proudly covered 50 villages over the last 5 years with initiatives as Jal Chaupal, to discuss and instil a sense of ownership in the village community and as a star campaigner of #SelfieWithPond, urging the youth to clean the polluted water bodies. His talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organised by a local community.

Source:  YouTube/TEDxTalks