The Earth Brigade Foundation (EBF), a Mumbai-based NGO, champions wildlife conservation, street animal welfare, and the empowerment of underprivileged rural women across India. Recognizing the intertwined challenges of endangered wildlife, marginalized forest communities, and neglected stray animals in urban settings, EBF employs a dynamic, solution-driven approach to create lasting impact.
EBF regards wildlife as a national treasure and forest staff as its frontline defenders. To foster public engagement, the foundation organizes visits to wildlife sanctuaries, nurturing a deep connection with nature. It actively encourages vigilance against wildlife crimes, urging prompt reporting to enable swift intervention. By advocating eco-friendly lifestyles, EBF empowers individuals to reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to environmental preservation.
In urban landscapes, EBF tackles the hardships faced by stray animals. Its initiatives provide essential medical care, sustenance, and protection, ensuring their well-being. Through awareness campaigns and community-driven efforts, the foundation strives to cultivate a society where humans and street animals coexist harmoniously.
Recognizing women as pillars of rural communities, EBF runs programs that equip underprivileged women with vital skills, education, and economic opportunities. These initiatives empower them to contribute meaningfully to their communities while achieving financial independence.
Driven by a holistic vision, EBF seamlessly integrates environmental conservation with social welfare, working toward a sustainable and compassionate future.
At the 10th Edition of the India Industry Water Conclave and 12th Edition of the FICCI Water Awards, hosted by FICCI, EBF Founders Dr. Sarita Subramaniam and Dr. P.V. Subramaniam shared powerful insights into their organization’s initiatives with The Interview World. They highlighted efforts in environmental sustainability, water conservation, and wildlife protection while detailing the wildlife sanctuaries that have directly benefited from their work. They also underscored how EBF’s initiatives strengthen the sustainability of water management systems and emphasized the policy interventions necessary to enhance the overall effectiveness of India’s environmental ecosystem.
Here are the key takeaways from their compelling conversation.
Q: What initiatives is your organization undertaking to promote environmental sustainability, including water conservation and wildlife protection?
A: Earth Brigade Foundation has secured second place at the prestigious FICCI Water Awards for our groundbreaking conservation efforts within the forest. This recognition is particularly remarkable because it highlights an industry-driven approach—something we have long urged policymakers to prioritize.
Our mission is simple yet crucial: ensuring a reliable water source for wildlife within the forest to prevent them from venturing into human settlements. By doing so, we mitigate human-wildlife conflict while fostering a thriving, sustainable ecosystem. Unlike the traditional method of using diesel-powered water tankers, which is both costly and environmentally damaging, we have pioneered a more sustainable solution.
We deploy solar-powered pumps, strategically submerged in borewells or perennial natural water bodies. These pumps efficiently draw water to the surface, where it is then distributed to ground-dwelling wildlife. This eco-friendly system not only conserves energy but also strengthens biodiversity, creating a lasting positive impact on the forest’s natural balance.
Q: How many wildlife sanctuaries have benefited from these initiatives?
A: Since 2019, we have installed 170 solar-powered water systems across 25 forests, including 13 tiger reserves. Our work spans seven states—Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka—strengthening wildlife conservation on a national scale.
Q: How does your work enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of the entire water management process?
A: We believe in tackling the root cause of the problem, not just the symptoms. Freshwater sources naturally exist within wild habitats, and protecting them at the source is essential. By ensuring water availability in these areas, we enhance watershed management at the ground level, creating a lasting impact.
Instead of fragmented efforts in urban areas, focusing on water conservation at its origin yields far greater benefits. Our approach also strengthens soil conservation by preventing topsoil erosion. As a result, biodiversity flourishes naturally, restoring woodlands and grasslands without artificial intervention. This sustainable, ecosystem-driven method fosters long-term environmental resilience.
Q: What policy interventions are needed to enhance the effectiveness and productivity of the environmental ecosystem?
A: Our policymakers must recognize the urgent need for a sustainable approach to water management. The real crisis—the severe water scarcity within forests—remains largely ignored. This is the elephant in the room, and it demands immediate action.
Policymakers must ensure industries play a larger role in conservation. Protecting forests can no longer be the responsibility of a small, isolated community. We need a multi-stakeholder approach where industries actively contribute beyond their immediate 50-kilometer radius. Wildlife conservation, biodiversity enhancement, and watershed management must become mandatory components of corporate social responsibility (CSR). To truly address the problem at its root, we must extend our efforts deep into the forests, securing their future through sustained, collective action.
