I was born in 1946 in a well-to-do family in Uttar Pradesh, surrounded by literature, spirituality, and simplicity. Though I experienced affluence early in life, it never fascinated me. What mattered to me was purpose.
The first chance I got, I dedicated my life to service. My journey started with a very small incident, seeing the heart-rending images of the famine-stricken on TV one evening in 1999. That year, Rajasthan was suffering from the effects of a severe famine. My family had already started sending lorries of food and tankers of water to the affected villages, but to my mind, this was not the solution that could cure the recurring problem of famines and droughts, which repeatedly plague Rajasthan as well as other parts of the country.
I, a lone housewife, was daunted by the immensity and complexity of the mission undertaken, but I knew that a solution had to exist. My quest took me to the Marwar region, Pali district, Rajasthan.
That year, not a single drop of rainfall had fallen in Rajasthan. I remember a lady calling a group of women carrying water vessels and going down into a deep stepwell. I went with them. The water had sunk very low; they filled their water pots, two for each woman, and were now ready to climb all those steps back and walk home, which was 2–4 kilometres away. I requested one of the ladies to let me hold the water pots for one minute, and even that one minute was too long for me. I couldn’t hold them for even 15 seconds. In those 15 seconds, the pride I had in my fitness program vanished.
I made up my mind. I could not let my rural sisters undergo this life of dread and drudgery day after day, year after year, until the end of their lives, only to pass the burden on to the next generation of women. I researched and came across certain structures that were large and had the capacity to facilitate two crops, pull them out of their dire situations, and lift them to a new level of economic self-sufficiency. That is how Aakar Charitable Trust was born.
Her work is marked by transparency, cost-efficiency, community ownership, and long-term sustainability—qualities that make her model replicable and scalable across rural India.
Amla Ruia founded Aakar Charitable Trust in 2003, with a profound conviction to transform the two foremost issues in rural India: water security and education.
For the last two decades, Amla Ruia has been working tirelessly for the cause of rainwater harvesting through the construction of check-dams and water bodies in water-deficient regions across 11 states of India. Today, recognized and awarded for her pioneering work and extensive accomplishments, she is fondly called the “Water Mother of India”
Land Irrigated
Crop Yield
Income
Families Returned
Her work is marked by transparency, cost-efficiency, community ownership, and long-term sustainability—qualities that make her model replicable and scalable across rural India. Amla Ruia founded Aakar Charitable Trust in 2003, with a profound conviction to transform the two foremost issues in rural India: water security and education. For the last two decades, Amla Ruia has been working tirelessly for the cause of rainwater harvesting through the construction of check-dams and water bodies in water-deficient regions across 11 states of India.
Today, recognized and awarded for her pioneering work and extensive accomplishments, she is fondly called the “Water Mother of India”
From the year 2000 to 2006, she built 200 water kunds providing pure drinking water in the distant farmlands and remote villages of Rajasthan where there was no municipal water supply. Since 2006, her focus on check dams and ponds construction has enabled millions of farmers to become self-reliant, debt-free, and prosperous.
Her first check dam in Mundawara, Rajasthan (2006), led to a dramatic turnaround. The once-barren land began yielding income, and within just three years, local farmers earned Rs. 12 crores, sparking a chain of success stories across other villages. Many of which are now proudly called ‘Crorepati Villages’.
Each pond constructed by Aakar generates an average annual net income of Rs. 20 lakhs between 3-4 farmers providing multiple income opportunities through farming, animal husbandry, fish farming, poultry and horticulture.
To see a rural India where every village has secure, sustainable access to water, the lifeline for agriculture, livelihoods, and dignity. We envision communities where farmers grow crops without fear of drought, women are free from the burden of fetching water, and children can focus on education, not survival. Our vision is of green fields, thriving economies, and empowered people living in harmony with nature.
To harvest the monsoon’s gift through durable check dams and ponds that revive rivers, recharge groundwater, and restore fertile land. We work in partnership with villagers, ensuring they contribute to and take ownership of each project, making it truly sustainable. Our mission goes beyond water, it is to spark social reform, create year-round livelihoods, and build communities that can stand on their own with pride and self-reliance.
Friends, Corporates and philanthropists, lend us your ears
I come to bring Water to the parched and thirsty,
I come to bring prosperity to those living in abject penury,
I come to pull those subsisting below the poverty line to
a new level of economic self-sufficiency and dignity.
These are not empty promises or words of false hope. We have done it umpteen times in the past, are currently engaged in giving this kind of result and will continue to do so till the last vestige of energy in us.
Founder & Chairperson
Project Manager
Born in a Farmer's family, Bhupendra's primary education happened in various villages of UP. He completed his MA and has been actively involved in Social work since 1998. Bhupendra has devoted himself for the service of mother nature in association with Aakar Charitable Trust since 2008 and is today a key pillar in the execution prowess of the organization.
Assistant Manager
Accountant
Secretary
Administrator
Office Assistant
Field Supervisor
Field Supervisor
Field Supervisor
Field Supervisor
Field Supervisor
Field Supervisor
Field Supervisor
Field Supervisor
Field Supervisor
