Ranchi. A news published 18 years ago in the newspaper on water crisis created a stir in the mind of Sameer Ansari, a resident of Deoghar in Jharkhand. He swore that he would save water drop by drop and would dedicate his whole life to this resolution. Since then this passion does not get off his head even for a moment. In the last five years, he has dug a big pond in his city on a single hand with a spade-shovel-belt. It has been decided that till the depth of the pond reaches twenty feet, he will continue digging. The echo of this passion of his is far away. On March 30, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has honored him with the Jal Prahari Samman in a program organized in New Delhi.
Sameer Ansari shared his full story with -AnyTV News. Told that after taking a pledge to save water drop by drop, he first started it from his home. Self made a water recharge pit for the waste water from the tap. Arrangements were also made to transport the rain water falling from the roof to this recharge pit. Then he started walking from village to village carrying a placard appealing to ‘Save water’. Went alone in hundreds of villages of Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh. Appealed to the people – save water for the generations to come. Some listened to him carefully, while some laughed and laughed.
The filth and plight of the Darwa river passing through his hometown of Deoghar bothered him a lot. Seeing people throwing dirt in the river and then using the same water, there was a lot of trouble. When I tried to convince the people, I got scolding and rebuke. Somebody said – If we have a problem with us, then find a river and pond somewhere else for yourself. This thing again pricked the heart of Sameer Ansari. At that very moment he decided to dig a pond near the Darhwa river. But the vacant land near the river was encroached upon and occupied by the oppressors. Sameer Ansari appealed to the district administration. The land was freed from illegal occupation.
After this Sameer started digging the pond here alone. Waking up every morning at five o’clock in the morning and reaching with a shovel-hoe. He continued digging alone till evening. The people of the house would reach there food and water in the afternoon. There is mother, wife, two children in the house. In the beginning, everyone said – if you do this for the whole day, how will the livelihood of the family run? Sameer Ansari says that he left it all to the one above. There is a ration card in the name of the mother in the house. Grain is available. Little cash comes from small household chores. In-laws also give some help. It just gets done.
Sameer says that even if there is a little problem, this work of making ponds and dams and saving water is huge in comparison to them. He is satisfied that he is devoting his life to this holy work. Quoting the hadith of Quran Sharif, he says that Allah has also described water as a great blessing.
Sameer Ansari tells that when he started the work of digging the pond alone, the people of the city and village called him mad. People used to laugh. He didn’t care for anyone. The result of that five years of hard work came to the fore when last year’s monsoon, water accumulated in the pond-dam built by him. Nearby people started using the water of this pond for other purposes from watering the cattle. He is hopeful that this monsoon, there will be plenty of water in the pond.
He tells that after his family members, one of his friends, Azim Ansari, encouraged him a lot. Always give courage. Now many people believe in his passion and his words. On March 30, when he went to Delhi to pay respect to the water watchman, he was accompanied by his friend Azim Ansari. Azim says, ‘If some people take the message of saving water from Samir Bhai by his work, then it will undoubtedly be the biggest success.’
—AnyTV News
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