Ramveer Tanwar, popularly known as the “Pondman of India,” has turned a childhood connection with village ponds into a conservation movement. The engineer-turned-environmentalist founded Say Earth and has helped restore 80+ ponds and water bodies, while conducting more than 100 Jal Chaupals and working on urban forests and environmental awareness.
From A Village Pond To An Engineering Degree
Ramveer grew up in Dadha village in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddha Nagar district, where ponds were an integral part of everyday life. As a child, he would take cattle to the village pond and swim there. Over time, he watched these water bodies become polluted, neglected or disappear as the surrounding region urbanised.
Despite coming from an agricultural family, Ramveer became the first person in his family to graduate from college. He studied mechanical engineering at KCC Institute of Technology & Management and later joined engineering and technology company Cyient. Yet his childhood memories of clean ponds continued to influence him.
When A Corporate Career Took A Back Seat
While working, Ramveer began spending his spare time learning about environmental conservation and working on water-related initiatives. In 2015, he launched Jal Chaupal, a community-focused campaign aimed at creating awareness around water conservation, groundwater depletion, rainwater harvesting and the importance of local water bodies.
He eventually left his corporate career to pursue environmental conservation full-time. While accounts differ on the exact year of his transition, several later reports place his departure from the corporate sector in 2018. Rather than treating pond restoration as simply a cleaning exercise, Ramveer began developing a model that involved local communities in bringing neglected water bodies back to life.
Restoring Ponds By Bringing Communities In
Ramveer’s approach centres on the idea that a restored pond can survive only when the surrounding community takes ownership of it. His teams remove accumulated waste, address pollution entering water bodies and introduce vegetation and filtration measures suited to individual sites.
Some restoration projects have used filtration systems involving wooden structures and grasses to prevent waste from entering ponds. Native plants are also introduced around water bodies, while local residents can be involved in restoration and maintenance. In some cases, the work has incorporated livelihoods such as fish farming, creating an economic incentive for communities to protect the restored water body.
His “Selfie With Pond” campaign further attempted to make water conservation a participatory movement, encouraging people to photograph themselves with local ponds and draw attention to their condition.
From A Few Ponds To 80+ Water Bodies
Ramveer’s conservation work has expanded considerably since his early projects around Greater Noida. In 2021, reports documented that he had restored at least 20 ponds. By 2022, the figure had reached around 48, and by 2023, reports stated that his organisation had worked on approximately 80 water bodies.
Say Earth’s current figures list 80+ ponds restored, 100+ Jal Chaupals, six or more urban forests and more than 100 awareness campaigns. These are organisation-reported figures rather than independently audited impact numbers.
The organisation’s work has also expanded beyond ponds into afforestation, waste management, environmental awareness and urban-forest development. Recent projects include work with corporate CSR partners and community-based ecological restoration.
From Local Activist To National Recognition
Ramveer’s work eventually attracted recognition at the highest levels. In the 82nd episode of Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about his journey, highlighting how the engineer left his job and began working to revive ponds.
His recognitions have also included the Rex Karmaveer Chakra, the Shining World Protection Award from Taiwan, and recognition as a Wetland Champion. He has also been associated with government-led water and sanitation initiatives, including roles connected with groundwater conservation and the Swachh Bharat Mission in Ghaziabad.
Ramveer has shared his experience beyond grassroots projects as well. He delivered a TEDx talk on pond restoration in 2022 and was featured in National Geographic’s environmental initiative One For Change.
Building A Larger Movement For Water Conservation
In 2020,Ramveer formally established Say Earth, giving an institutional structure to the conservation work he had begun years earlier. Today, the organisation works across water-body restoration, afforestation, environmental awareness and community participation.
The larger lesson from Ramveer’s journey is that environmental conservation does not always begin with large institutions or sophisticated infrastructure. Sometimes, it begins with recognising the disappearance of something familiar and convincing a community to protect it.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Ramveer Tanwar’s journey demonstrates how environmental action can grow from a deeply personal connection with nature into a community-led movement. His work shows that restoring a pond is not merely about removing waste or bringing back water. It also involves rebuilding local ownership, creating awareness and ensuring that communities have a reason to protect these ecosystems after restoration. At a time when India faces increasing pressure on groundwater and freshwater resources Ramveer’s journey offers a reminder that protecting existing water bodies can be as important as searching for new sources of water.
What can communities and local governments do to ensure that India’s restored ponds remain protected for generations?
