In the sprawling urban jungle of Delhi NCR, where concrete reigns and water bodies are often left gasping for breath, one man has been quietly bringing ponds back to life. Ramveer Tanwar, a former engineer-turned-ecological restorer, is fondly known as the ‘Pond Man’ — a title earned through tireless efforts that have revived over 20 wetlands in and around the region.

His journey from boardrooms to birdcalls is not just about ecological revival but about restoring faith in community-led conservation.

From BTech to backwaters

Born in Dadha village, Uttar Pradesh, Ramveer completed his BTech in Mechanical Engineering in 2014. Even as a student, he had begun to notice a troubling pattern: the ponds he once played in were disappearing. Once teeming with life, these water bodies had become garbage pits, overrun with weeds and pollution.

While most would have looked away, Ramveer couldn’t.

The more he studied environmental impact, the more he felt an urgent responsibility — not just as a concerned citizen, but as someone who understood what was being lost.

His initial efforts were modest. After college, he would return to his village in the evenings to manually clear weeds and plastic from a local pond. It was backbreaking work, done with the help of a handful of local youth. But slowly, that once-dead pond began to breathe again.

Encouraged,........

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