00:00We have here with us Amla Ashok Ruya.
00:02She is known as the Water Mother of India
00:04and her work has impacted 1270 villages,
00:09you know, in providing water access to them.
00:11Her trust called Aakar Charitable Trust
00:14has impacted the lives of lakhs and lakhs of people across India.
00:18Ms. Ruya, welcome to ETV Bharat.
00:20Thank you so much.
00:21I am greatly, greatly honoured to be here
00:24and to receive this award of excellence
00:27at the hands of your esteemed organisation,
00:31the Ramoji Trust.
00:32So ma'am, congratulations on winning the award
00:34and what inspired you to work in the area of water conservation?
00:40Actually, it was a very small incident.
00:42The TV was showing the images of the famine stricken in Rajasthan that evening.
00:49At that time, Rajasthan was reeling under the trios of a severe famine.
00:55Okay.
00:56And just looking at what misery
00:59my rural brothers and sisters have to go through,
01:03you know, it reached my heart like a bullet.
01:06And at that instant, I made up my mind
01:09that I cannot allow my rural brothers and sisters
01:13to live or to repeatedly go through this kind of misery.
01:18And this was in the 1990s?
01:201998.
01:22That year was a severe famine.
01:23Our family had already started sending lorries of food
01:26and tankards of water to the affected villages.
01:30But to my mind, this was not the solution
01:33that could cure the syndrome of droughts and famines.
01:37The problem was so immense.
01:39I just decided that I must go and in search of such kind of solutions
01:46and I'm sure that I will find one.
01:49So you managed to educate yourself about water conservation.
01:53Before that, you had no experience in the field.
01:55I am not educated in social sciences or anything like that.
01:59It was the passion and it was the pain which I was feeling in my heart.
02:04So I went from place to place.
02:06At last, I came upon certain water harvesting structures
02:11which had the capacity to give a new lease of life
02:17to our brothers and sisters
02:19who were living in such abject poverty in the rural areas.
02:24You also mentioned somewhere that you went down a well
02:27with a group of women from Rajasthan.
02:30What was that experience about?
02:31I was searching for some solutions
02:34and that year, Pali district had not received a drop of rain.
02:40And I went over there to see what the situation was like.
02:44And I came upon this bunch of ladies
02:46who were going down a step well.
02:49You know, each one of them had two pitchers
02:52and they were going down to fill the pitchers with water
02:56and carry that water back home.
02:59I cannot allow my sisters
03:01to repeatedly dedicate their whole life
03:05to bringing water for their household needs.
03:09You know, in those villages,
03:11people were not ready to give their daughters in marriage.
03:15How did you actually begin the work?
03:18And there must have been many challenges also along the way.
03:21Yes, I remember, you know,
03:23the first tech dam which I built,
03:26Mandavara village, Jhunjunu district.
03:29Aakar Charitable Trust had come over there
03:31and we were asking,
03:33what do you think can solve your problems?
03:36And the women said,
03:38aap hamare liye ek water harvesting structure bana dije.
03:41And we were just waiting to hear that from them.
03:44At that time, Aakar Charitable Trust was just a team of two.
03:49But we said,
03:50we will stand solidly behind you
03:52with all the money that you require
03:54and we'll shoot out all the problems that come in the way.
03:57At that time,
03:58it was my own family's funds
03:59that I was going to use for the first tech dam.
04:02And at that time,
04:03you know,
04:04this was in the year 2006.
04:05So things were not that expensive also.
04:09I remember the very first day
04:10when the work started.
04:13The temperatures in that area
04:15had reached 45 degrees.
04:17The whole atmosphere was dust laden.
04:21But there was a ray of hope
04:23in the hearts of the people.
04:25My workforce consisted of
04:27all the women of the village
04:29with their children
04:30lending them a helping hand.
04:33After two months,
04:34the tech dam got completed.
04:36And that year,
04:38the whole land was completely filled with water.
04:41The whole ground
04:42where the tech dam had been made.
04:45Yes.
04:45And they had never even seen
04:48such abundance of water
04:50in their barren village.
04:52And then
04:53another miracle happened.
04:56All the people
04:57that had left their villages
04:59and gone away
05:01in search of livelihood
05:02now returned back.
05:04The first harvest that they did
05:07made them free of their debts.
05:10Our work
05:11does not only
05:12impact the lives of people,
05:14it transforms it.
05:16And how is the village now
05:19after all these years?
05:20So,
05:20in the first year,
05:22they earned
05:22two crores of rupees
05:24from farming.
05:25Then they got
05:27a lot of fodder.
05:28So,
05:28now they have
05:29five or six cattle head
05:31tied to each doorstep.
05:34The income
05:35of which they get
05:36out of cattle rearing
05:37comes directly
05:39in the hands of the woman
05:40who makes the house shine
05:43and fulfills
05:45all her basic needs.
05:47Now,
05:48they have
05:48dood dahi ki nadiyan
05:50beh rahi hai.
05:51Pani ki nadi behthi hai
05:52aur dud dahi ki nadiyan behthi hai.
05:54So,
05:55from completely
05:55arid regions
05:56they have had
05:57perennial rivers now.
05:59We have
06:00given birth
06:01to
06:01175 streamlets
06:03out of which
06:05out of which
06:05some of course
06:06run for only
06:07three,
06:07four months.
06:08Some go on
06:09till eight or nine months
06:11and a few of them
06:12have become perennial.
06:14And last two years
06:15we have had
06:16abundant rain
06:17that has also
06:18helped the rivers
06:18to become abundant.
06:19And your work
06:21has expanded
06:21beyond Rajasthan
06:22also.
06:23You were talking
06:23about that earlier.
06:24When did that
06:25expansion begin?
06:26Our first
06:27check dam
06:27was built
06:28in 2006
06:29and then
06:30subsequently
06:30we reached out
06:32to various
06:33other states
06:34because I know
06:35every state
06:36goes through
06:37these kind
06:38of drought
06:38situations.
06:39Yes.
06:40So,
06:40we did that.
06:41Even the states
06:42that flood
06:43also have regions
06:44which suffer
06:44from drought.
06:45Yes.
06:46Because
06:46if you do not
06:47harvest rain water
06:48if you do not
06:49put it in pockets
06:51then
06:52when there is
06:53no rain
06:53what will happen?
06:54From 2012
06:55onwards
06:56you all have
06:56expanded to
06:57various other states.
06:58Yes.
06:59So,
06:59we have done
07:00a lot of work
07:01in Tikamgarh
07:02Tikamgarh
07:03in Madhya Pratesh
07:04and Jhansi
07:05which is in UP.
07:07This is the
07:07Bundelkhand area
07:09which is highly
07:09highly water deficient.
07:12So,
07:12there also
07:13we have done
07:13a lot of work.
07:14then
07:15we have
07:17done
07:17extensive work
07:19in Bhoj area.
07:20We have done
07:21about 40-50
07:22checkdams
07:23and we have
07:24also done
07:25umpteen
07:25ponds
07:27or talabs.
07:28And I am
07:29happy to say
07:30that we have
07:32now added
07:33ponds
07:33to the scope
07:34of our work.
07:35So,
07:36the whole
07:37land of
07:38India
07:38is now
07:40our kshetra
07:41so to speak.
07:42Earlier
07:43we were only
07:44concentrating
07:44on checkdams
07:45which could
07:46only be
07:47made in
07:48certain areas
07:49where the
07:50conditions
07:50were favourable.
07:52But ponds
07:53can be executed
07:54anywhere
07:55and everywhere.
07:56Yes.
07:57So,
07:58I am very
07:58happy to say
07:59that
08:00today
08:01Akar
08:03Charitable
08:03Trust
08:04has done
08:05825
08:07checkdams,
08:08555
08:10ponds
08:11because of
08:12which
08:12the farmers
08:14are earning
08:15a net
08:16income
08:17of
08:173425
08:20crores
08:21year after
08:23year
08:23in total.
08:24Like beyond
08:24these figures
08:25and numbers
08:26you know,
08:27how do you
08:28measure impact
08:28of your work?
08:30earlier
08:31the villagers
08:32were not
08:33able to
08:33support
08:34one bullock
08:35and they
08:36need two
08:37for their
08:38hull
08:38to
08:39play.
08:39Two bells
08:40have to be
08:41required.
08:41So,
08:42they couldn't
08:43support
08:44two.
08:45So,
08:45if I am
08:46running my
08:47house
08:48I will
08:48ask my
08:49neighbor
08:49and
08:51tomorrow
08:51we have to
08:51do that.
08:52Now,
08:53each one
08:54of the
08:54villages
08:55has at
08:56least
08:56four to
08:57five
08:57tractors.
08:59Each
08:59home
09:00has got
09:01at least
09:02two
09:03wheelers.
09:05All
09:05their
09:06children
09:06go to
09:07school
09:07including
09:08the
09:08female
09:09offsprings.
09:10they are
09:11debt-free.
09:13They have
09:13started
09:14ancillary
09:15industries
09:16in the
09:17areas
09:17where they
09:18live.
09:19The
09:19reverse
09:19exodus
09:20has
09:21happened.
09:22All
09:22their
09:23wells
09:23have
09:24got
09:24water
09:25in
09:25them.
09:27And
09:27if
09:28there
09:28is
09:28reasonable
09:29amount
09:30of
09:30rainfall
09:31for
09:31three
09:31or
09:32four
09:32years
09:32in
09:33any
09:34area
09:34that
09:35village
09:36becomes
09:36drought
09:37proof.
09:38That
09:38means
09:39if
09:39for
09:40two
09:40years
09:40they
09:41do
09:41not
09:41receive
09:42any
09:42rainfall
09:42their
09:43wells
09:45will
09:45hold
09:45enough
09:46water
09:46for
09:47them
09:47to
09:47continue
09:48life
09:49at
09:49their
09:49own
09:50normal
09:50pace.
09:51And
09:52this
09:52solution
09:53is a
09:54solution
09:55for
09:56droughts
09:56as well
09:57as for
09:58floods.
09:58Because
09:59if you
10:00have
10:00enough
10:00pockets
10:01on the
10:02surface
10:02of the
10:03earth
10:03the
10:04water
10:04will
10:04not
10:04spill.
10:05It
10:05will
10:06be
10:06held
10:06in
10:07those
10:07pockets.
10:07And
10:08as
10:08the
10:09water
10:09mother
10:09of
10:09India
10:10and
10:10Ramoji
10:11excellence
10:12awardee
10:12what
10:13message
10:13would
10:14you
10:14like
10:14to
10:14give
10:14regular
10:15people
10:15out
10:15there?
10:15Water
10:16is
10:17life
10:17and
10:18unless
10:19we
10:19look
10:19upon
10:20it
10:20as
10:21the
10:22most
10:22precious
10:23ingredient
10:23or
10:24element
10:25that
10:25we
10:25have
10:26we
10:27will
10:27not
10:28be
10:28able
10:28to
10:29sustain
10:30life
10:30the
10:30way
10:31we
10:31want
10:31to
10:31live
10:32it
10:32today.
10:32So
10:33I
10:34would
10:34like
10:34to
10:34tell
10:35them
10:35amazing
10:48thank you
11:03so
11:03much
11:03ma'am.
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