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{{short description|Indian environmentalist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2016}}
{{Orphan|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Amla Ruia
|image = Amla Ashok Ruia.jpg
|image_size =
|caption =
|birth_date =
|birth_place =
|death_date = 
|death_place =
|other_names =
|known_for = [https://web.archive.org/web/20130129233923/http://www.aakarindia.net/profile.html Aakar Charitable Trust] and [https://www.groundreportindia.org The Ground Report India]
|occupation = Entrepreneur, Water Activist and Educationist
|nationality = Indian
}}
'''Amla Ashok Ruia''' is an Indian social activist known for her work in water harvesting.

==Career==
Ruia was inspired by severe droughts in 1999/2000 and 2003 to improve water harvesting in Rajasthan villages.<ref name="NewsBharati">{{cite news |title=‘Water Mother’ Amla Ruia, transformed over 100 villages of Rajasthan using traditional water harvesting |url=http://vsktelangana.org/water-mother-amla-ruia-transformed-over-100-villages-of-rajasthan-using-traditional-water-harvesting/ |access-date=9 February 2019 |work=Vishwa Samvad Kendra |agency=NewsBharati |date=18 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="Jayakumar">{{cite news |last1=Jayakumar |first1=P.B. |title=Healing Drought |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/features/amla-ruia-social-entrepreneur-founder-aakar-charitable-trust-social-work-constructed-dams-build-ponds/story/260389.html |access-date=10 February 2019 |work=Business Today |date=8 October 2017 |location=India}}</ref> She founded the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130129233923/http://www.aakarindia.net/profile.html Aakar Charitable Trust](ACT) to partner with villages to build [[check dam]]s that provide water security.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-09-23/special-report/34040130_1_check-dam-villagers-water-body|archive-url = https://archive.today/20130216065626/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-09-23/special-report/34040130_1_check-dam-villagers-water-body|url-status = dead|archive-date = 16 February 2013|title = Water idea, sir ji!|last=Dey |first=Anindo |date=23 September 2012 |work = [[The Times of India]]|access-date= 16 January 2015}}</ref>

Her first check dam project was in Mandawar village,<ref name="NewsBharati"/> which was a success. Farmers managed to earn up to 120 million rupees in a year via the two check dams built by Aakar Charitable Trust.<ref name="NewsBharati"/> By the end of 2017, Aakar Charitable Trust had built more than 200 check dams in more than 115 villages in [[Rajasthan]], with flow-on effects to almost 200 other villages.<ref name="Peerzeda">{{cite news |last1=Peerzeda |first1=Aamir Rafiq |title=Meet India's dam-building grandmother |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-42055000 |access-date=9 February 2019 |work=BBC News |date=12 September 2017}}</ref><ref name="Logical">{{cite news |last1=Kumar |first1=Pavan Manikanta |title=Meet The Woman Who Rescued 2 Lakh Villagers From Poverty And Tripled Their Revenue In 10 Years |url=https://thelogicalindian.com/my-social-responsibility/amla-woman-rescued-2-lakh-villagers-poverty-tripled-revenue-10-years/ |access-date=9 February 2019 |work=The Logical Indian |date=5 August 2018}}</ref><ref name="Worth">{{Cite news|url=http://sites.ndtv.com/women-of-worth/nominee-amla-ruia/|title=Women of Worth: About the Nominee - Amla Ruia|date=2016-02-11|work=Women Of Worth|access-date=2017-12-16|language=en-US}}</ref> The Trust provides 60-70% of the resources required to construct each check dam, while the village where the dam is sited provides 30-40% of resources, participates in its construction, and is responsible for its maintenance.<ref name=":0"/><ref name="Peerzeda"/> The check dams allow the aquifers to be replenished during the monsoon, so that bore wells and hand-pumps are recharged.<ref name="Peerzeda"/> Villagers have been able to grow up to three crops per year and keep livestock.<ref name="NewsBharati"/><ref name=":0"/><ref name="Peerzeda"/> Ruia estimates that the resulting increased income gives a 750% return on the investment in the check dams.<ref name=":0"/> Girls are able to attend school, as they no longer need to help their mothers carry water from long distances,<ref name="Peerzeda"/> and students can undertake tertiary education.<ref name=":0"/> Ruia is popularly known as ''Paani Mata'' ("Water Mother").<ref name="NewsBharati"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/21899/amla-ruia-check-dams-rajasthan-aakar-charitable-trust/|title=One Woman Made 100 Villages in Rajasthan Fertile Using Traditional Water Harvesting Methods|date=2015-12-15|work=The Better India|access-date=2017-12-16|language=en-US}}</ref>

Ruia and her team have extended their efforts in other states such as [[Madhya Pradesh]],<ref name="NewsBharati"/><ref name="Logical"/> [[Maharashtra]],<ref name="NewsBharati"/><ref name="Logical"/> [[Odisha]],<ref name="Logical"/> and the [[Dantewada district|Dantewada]] district in [[Chhattisgarh]],<ref name="NewsBharati"/><ref name="Logical"/> and have plans to expand into [[Bihar]],<ref name="Jayakumar"/> [[Haryana]],<ref name="Jayakumar"/> [[Uttarakhand|Uttaranchal]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]].

In 2011, Ruia was awarded a [[Lala Lakshmipat Singhania|Lakshmipat Singhania]] - [[IIM Lucknow]] National Leadership Award in the category of Community Service and Social Upliftment.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url = http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/premji-nayar-win-biz-awards/article1-966634.aspx|archive-url = https://archive.today/20150118202726/http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/premji-nayar-win-biz-awards/article1-966634.aspx|url-status = dead|archive-date = 18 January 2015|title = Leadership Awards|access-date = 16 January 2015|publisher = Hindustan times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = LAKSHMIPAT SINGHANIA - IIM, LUCKNOW NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AWARDS - 2013|url = http://www.lpsiimlawards.in/past-winners.html|website = www.lpsiimlawards.in|access-date = 2015-09-18|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190109110432/http://lpsiimlawards.in/past-winners.html|archive-date = 9 January 2019|url-status = dead}}</ref> In 2016, she was nominated for the Women of Worth Social Award category.<ref name="Worth"/> In 2018, she received the India Eye International Human Rights Observer Achievement Award 2018.<ref>{{cite news |title=IHRO to celebrate World Environment Day |url=https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/ihro-celebrate-world-environment-day |access-date=9 February 2019 |work=The Sunday Guardian |date=14 April 2018}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Amla Ruia was born in Uttar Pradesh.<ref>{{Cite web|title = About the Trust|url = http://aakarcharitabletrust.weebly.com/about-the-trust.html|website = Aakar Charitable Trust|access-date = 2015-09-18|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304234559/http://aakarcharitabletrust.weebly.com/about-the-trust.html|archive-date = 4 March 2016|url-status = dead}}</ref> She currently lives in [[Malabar Hill]], [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]].<ref name="Merchant">{{cite news |last1=Merchant |first1=Cyrus H. |title=Brightly flows the river |url=http://www.marwar.com/people/altruism/brightly-flows-the-river.html |access-date=10 February 2019 |work=Marwar |date=18 May 2016 |location=India}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruia, Amla}}
[[Category:Indian environmentalists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Indian women environmentalists]]
[[Category:Activists from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Women educators from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Educators from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Women human rights activists]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

{{India-activist-stub}}
{{environmentalist-stub}}

Amla Ruia - Revision history

->GreenC bot at 00:44, 9 August 2021