Water Warriors Share Grassroots Success Stories with Jal Shakti Minister

• Water Warriors from across India share grassroots conservation experiences.
• Ramveer Tanwar highlights rejuvenation of more than 100 ponds.
• Community groups showcase river cleaning and groundwater recharge initiatives.
• C. R. Paatil calls for measurable outcomes and wider Jan Bhagidari.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 2nd Oct: Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri C. R. Patil on Thursday hosted Water Conservation Warriors and River Rejuvenation Warriors from across India at his residence, providing a platform for grassroots champions to share their experiences in water conservation, river and water-body rejuvenation and environmental protection.

The interaction, organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Namami Gange programme, brought together citizens who have been leading community-driven initiatives involving river and pond restoration, rainwater harvesting, cleanliness drives, plantation and waste management.

The participants shared experiences of restoring rivers and ponds, undertaking Shramdaan, promoting rainwater harvesting, removing plastic waste, conducting plantation drives and mobilising women, youth and volunteers.

Among those who shared their work was Ramveer Tanwar, popularly known as the ‘Pondman of India’, who spoke about rejuvenating more than 100 ponds and establishing 10 mini urban forests.

Kamini Kumari from Bihar highlighted an initiative involving 500 women who constructed 500 groundwater recharge pits along the Baya River in a single day. The initiative linked water conservation with groundwater recharge, sustainable agriculture and livelihood opportunities for women.

Surendra Singh Chaudhary, popularly known as ‘Bittu Tabahi’, spoke about his efforts to clean the polluted Ajnar River at Biaora in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district. He began the initiative on January 26, 2026, removing plastic, weeds, sludge and other waste from the river.

Anand Malligavad from Bengaluru shared his work on restoring 33 lakes and planting more than one lakh native trees, while Jagdish Singh Negi from Uttarakhand spoke about water conservation, forest restoration and converting plastic waste into eco-bricks.

Subham Kumar highlighted youth participation in river-cleaning efforts and said his initiatives had helped mobilise communities to remove more than 2.47 lakh kilograms of waste from the banks of the Ganga and its tributaries.

The meeting also heard from Akash Yadav of Uttar Pradesh, whose 15-member volunteer group has worked on the rejuvenation of four Ganga ghats and removal of more than one tonne of plastic waste.

Dr Sanjivini Sharma from Kanpur spoke about mobilising more than 900 volunteers for Ganga conservation campaigns and removing over 120 metric tonnes of waste. Her work also includes plastic recycling, reuse of discarded materials and creating livelihood opportunities for women through community-led waste management.

Other Water Warriors who participated included Kusum Gildiyal, Jagdish Negi, Rama Tiwari, Dr Suman Pandey, Kumari Sunita Singh, Sanjay Kumar Singh, Ajay Kumar Tivare, Nitish Kumar Singh, Kamlesh Bhai Shastri, Sandeep Chaudhary, Sirkunwar, Phoolbati and Vivek Bhat.

Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Smt. Archana Varma, appreciated the contribution of the Water Warriors in taking water conservation and cleanliness initiatives beyond government programmes and into local communities.

She emphasised the importance of citizen-led participation in sustaining river rejuvenation, water conservation and protection of local water bodies.

Addressing the gathering, Patil congratulated the participants for their grassroots efforts and said their experiences demonstrated the scale and diversity of citizen-led action across the country.

He emphasised the need to convert the existing momentum into focused, measurable and sustained outcomes. The minister encouraged participants to identify specific rivers, ponds, ghats and other water bodies, establish clear targets and demonstrate visible improvements.

Patil also stressed the importance of involving women, youth, schoolchildren, senior citizens and other sections of society so that water conservation and cleanliness develop into sustained community movements rather than one-time activities.

The minister encouraged the Water Warriors to remain connected, share successful models and adapt effective local initiatives in other regions facing similar water and environmental challenges.

The interaction underscored the role of Jan Bhagidari, Shramdaan and grassroots leadership in complementing government programmes for river rejuvenation, water conservation and environmental protection.