AnnAifal Talab, a small water body in a village near Ghaziabad, was a serious health and environmental hazard for the people living around it. In 2020, a cover of algae covered the pond, but was hardly visible with the naked eye. Discarded clothing, torn shoes, plastic bags and other household waste form a thick layer over the algae. The pond, located right next to the school, was never seen as a health hazard or environmental risk by the villagers, and was a growing dumping ground for waste.
Nestled behind high-rise residential buildings, residents of Nayphal village are now working to ensure the cleanliness and health of a pond that the rural community now reveres. The 9,500 square meter pond is a beautiful sight today but is surrounded by various plantations of onions, garlic and other flowering plants.
Environmentalist Ramveer Tanwar along with his team of 11 volunteers cleaned the pond for a year, which got a new breath in late 2021. In the thick of the pandemic, his team ensured that the Rog-Kund was revived in the water body.
Ramveer, also known as ‘The Pond Man of India’, has so far revived 48 ponds across the country, while he and his NGO ‘Se Earth’ continue their efforts in six states. His team is currently working in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, reviving two other lakes in Bengaluru as well as a project in Haryana.
Now a popular water conservationist, Ramveer tells ThePrint, “For me, it was not always about ponds or water bodies. For me the sense of awareness was always more important. We should focus on why we should save our natural resources.
An engineering graduate, Ramveer quit his job at an MNC, Cyient, to work full time for his cause. “I often worked with NGOs and did cleanliness drives for ponds, but later I realized that if I wanted to make a real difference, it was a full-time job that needed my full attention.”
Ramveer is now also the Urban-Forest Development Advisor of Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation.
Once a muddy morass, with the carcasses of dogs, cats, buffaloes and nilgai often producing a strong stench in the air, Niphal Talab is where birds flock, and ducks live.
“Earlier, not even a drop of water could be seen from the pond as it was very polluted. Due to the strong smell, even standing near the pond was not possible,” says Ramveer about Nayaphal’s early days.
Ramveer’s team is continuously monitoring to ensure that the Naifal pond does not get polluted again. Villagers claim that Tanwar’s team still comes to check the pond from time to time, and uses insect repellent to ensure that moths do not crowd it.
Not only this, there is also a new civic sense among the villagers of Nayphal who are keeping the pond clean today. Residents say that cases of malaria and dengue were rampant in the village, which have now reduced after the pond was cleaned. Residents consciously no longer lead their cattle into the water, and ensure that their waste goes into the garbage disposal cart that now arrives at the village every morning.
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a renewed civic sense
Since the cleaning of the pond in 2021, the residents of Niphal have strictly ensured that they never pollute the man-made water body again. Every morning, a dumping truck runs through the streets as people come out and collect their garbage instead of throwing it in the pond.
“The pond which was earlier just a dumpyard is now a beautiful sight. The water level has also increased. Every morning, the villagers ensure that they throw their garbage in the municipal vehicle without polluting the pond. However, there is still a drain right next to the pond, where people sometimes throw garbage packets,” says Preeti, who lives about six houses away from the pond.
Around the pond, now various trees, plants, vegetables and flowers can also be seen growing. Growing vegetation around the pond was one of the tactics Ramveer and his team used to ensure that the villagers continued to respect the water body. Moreover, as the villagers water the plants, the surrounding trees also get water, keeping the area green.
Bobby, another resident of the village, says, “The Municipal Board and Tanwar Sir have done a good job of cleaning the pond, but the villagers are now watering these plants and taking care of them like their own children.” ”
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Helping Ramveer’s team
During that one year, Ramveer’s small team gained widespread community support. From avoiding red-tapism to buying vehicles for sanitation, Ramveer credits the Municipal Corporation Ghaziabad for his success. “It would not have been possible without Mahendra Singh Tavar, the municipal commissioner at that time,” he says. Villagers claim that Tavar even helped clean up a nearby graveyard.
But the villagers of Niphal are also not behind in showing gratitude to Ramveer. Changing the mindset of all the villagers is a major task that his team did with some of the residents living near the pond.
“There was a very strong-knit unit of people who lived near the pond, deliberately telling women and others to dump garbage in the pond – not to throw it there and go back. We worked like a chain, says Kanwarpal Singh, a physical education teacher at a Delhi government school who lives right next to the pond, and we are still here to ensure that the pond remains clean. His relentless commitment to the cause ultimately helped Ramveer accomplish this task.
Though there was resistance from some villagers, who wanted to use the surrounding land as an area for car parking and were not ready to budge, a section of conscious villagers and Ramveer’s team effectively got them to give up that land. Convinced to keep it empty and dirt free.
“Resettlement is not easy, but making the whole process sustainable is,” says Ramveer, talking about making sure this massive cleanup was not just a temporary fix. He says that the villagers also helped in cleaning the walking track built around the pond.
The former dump in the middle of Naifal is now a self-sustaining wetland that attracts a variety of migratory birds and aquatic life. The sewage water from the village is now piped here, treated and then discharged into the pond.
Instead of algae and household waste, filtration systems and floating water purifiers now populate the pond. Two small islands have also been made in the pond on which birds usually roost. A barbed wire fence has been installed around the pond to ensure that animals do not invade the area.
(Editing by Anurag Choubey)