రాజస్థాన్​లో నీళ్లులేని దుర్భర పరిస్థితులు నా మనసును కలిచివేశాయి : ఆమ్లా అశోక్ రూయా

ETVBHARAT

Amla Ashok Ruia Interview : ఎడారి మనుషుల తడారిన బతుకులు చలింపజేశాయి. పల్లెజనం దాహం కేకలు, వలసగాథలు ఆమ్లారూయా మనసును కదిలించాయి. అది 1999 ఫిబ్రవరి. ఓ రోజు ఆమ్లారూయా టీవీ చూస్తున్నారు. రాజస్థాన్ కరవు కథనం ఆమె మనసును మెలిపెట్టింది. పత్రికా కథనాలు, జనం వలస గాథలు ఆలోచనలో పడేశాయి. గ్రామీణ భారతంలో ఇంత కఠిన పరిస్థితులు ఉన్నాయా అని మథనపడ్డారు. ఏమాత్రం ఆలస్యం చేయకుండా కార్యక్షేత్రంలోకి దూకారు. ప్రయోగాత్మకంగా మాండవర్‌ గ్రామంలో రెండు చెక్ డ్యాములు కట్టించారు. మూడేళ్లలో సాగు బాగైంది.తరువాత ఆశయ సాఫల్యానికి 'ఆకార్ ఛారిటబుల్ ట్రస్టు' ఏర్పాటుచేశారు. రాజస్థాన్‌తో మొదలుపెట్టి ఉత్తరప్రదేశ్, మధ్యప్రదేశ్, మహారాష్ట్ర, ఒడిశా, చత్తీస్‌గఢ్ సహా 11 రాష్ట్రాలకు జలయజ్ఞాన్ని విస్తరించారు. రెండున్నర దశాబ్దాల కృషితో 814 చెక్ డ్యాములు, 494 నీటికుంటలకు ఊపిరి పోశారు. ఆమె ఎన్నో ఊళ్ల నీటికష్టాలు తీర్చి "వాటర్ మదర్‌ ఆఫ్​ ఇండియా"గా పేరొందారు. ఆమె సేవలకు అనేక అవార్డులు దక్కాయి. 2008 ఫిక్కీ ఎఫ్​ఎల్​ఓ మొదలు 2025లో జమ్నాలాల్ బజాజ్‌ వరకు అనేక సంస్థలతో అవార్డులతో సత్కరించాయి. ఇదేబాటలో రామోజీ గ్రూప్‌ 'ఎక్సలెన్స్ అవార్డు'తో ఆమ్లా రూయాను గౌరవించింది.

Transcript

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.

రాజస్థాన్లో నీళ్లులేని దుర్భర పరిస్థితులు నా మనసును కలిచివేశాయి : ఆమ్లా అశోక్ రూయా

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రాజస్థాన్లో నీళ్లులేని దుర్భర పరిస్థితులు నా మనసును కలిచివేశాయి : ఆమ్లా అశోక్ రూయా