“It was a bitter pill to swallow - I was 59. I'd just retired. And was broken.

“In West Bengal, Mandals are known to be cultivators. So despite earning my trade as an electrician at ITI, I turned to the 30-acre family farm to work hard and build a business.

Across Ambuja Foundation locations, a cadre of ‘Water Volunteers’ is the quiet, driving force behind access to water in communities – for both drinking water and livelihood purposes. Playing diverse roles, from monitoring water quality, to operating irrigation pumps, these water champions work long hard hours – for free – to ensure water is available when people need it. Who are they? And what drives these selfless heroes?

Mansa Ram is 75 and supposed to be retired – living the relaxed and quiet life. But as an avid agriculturalist, water conservationist and the President of the Village Development Committee, Mansa is busier than ever! A retired Subedar Major of the 14 Dogra Regiment, Mansa retired from service in 1997 and has spent the last 25 years transforming his farm and village - and it all started with water. With a multitude of water issues in the area, Mansa has been a driving force behind the Village Watershed Development Committee and has transformed the water situation on his own property – advocating interventions to other farmers in the area.

Setting the exemplary standards, Ambuja Foundation bagged the ICC Social Impact Award for the fourth time in a row. At the Social Impact Awards 2022 ceremony in Kolkata Ambuja Foundation was celebrated with 3 major awards for its contribution to women empowerment, water resource management and rural heath.

The inspiring stories of Ambuja Foundation’s beneficiaries have been captured in a stunning coffee table book format – highlighting their perseverance and ‘unstoppable’ drive in pursuing their livelihoods and passions.

Ambuja Foundation was awarded the Best Project Implementation Agency by NABARD for its work in the Watershed Development Projects in Darlaghat. Organized by NABARD, Himachal Pradesh, this glittering award ceremony was held on 9th Feb 2022 during the State Credit Seminar 2022-23.

There is an urgent need for people in rural communities to change the way in which they view, and subsequently treat, community ponds. From being seen as a community dumping ground, to being viewed and valued as an abundant community resource, we must reignite the interdependent relationship between people and ponds.

The recent pandemic has averted our attention from the alarming water crisis India is facing, however the distressing problem remains. With short memories, many have forgotten that 21 Indian cities ran out of water in 2019, and that unless something radical is done, we face a grim future when it comes to water.

Hamirbhai is passionate about water, which is a perfect fit for his role as the community elected ‘Water Operator’ of his village. At just 37 years of age he has become an advocate in the district for promoting ‘water quality testing’ to prevent ill-health among villagers, and has been instrumental in turning the water situation around in over 13 communities.

The overall aim of Ambuja Foundation’s Water program is ‘to create 'drought-resilient' rural villages and ensure all-year-round water for farmers, families, and communities.’ It's a lofty claim. So how do we know that we are, in fact, achieving it?

Since antiquity, water has been harvested in diverse and distinctive water structures. These include Ponds, Tanks, Lakes, Vayalgams (traditional tanks), Tars (traditional check dams), Khadins (streams) Bawdis (springs) and Talabs (small ponds).