From Tech Giant to Eco Warrior: Arun Krishnamurthy’s Journey to Revitalizing India’s Lakes

Arun Krishnamurthy is a true environmental champion, dedicating his days to the cause he's most passionate about - preserving and restoring freshwater lakes and ponds throughout India.  As the founder of the Chennai-based Environmentalist Foundation of India (E.F.I), which he launched in 2007, Arun has made it his mission to positively impact the environment. He even left behind his successful corporate career at Google to fully immerse himself in this important work. Over the past 15 years, the organization has successfully restored and revitalized 195 water bodies, with the help of 82,000 volunteers and a team of 20 full-time members. It all started when as a teenager, Arun noticed a pond near his home was deteriorating. He addressed the issue with the village Panchayat who were very supportive and helped in the restoration of the pond. That's when he realized that people want to make a change but do not know how to begin.  Steps involved in lake restoration include cleaning the periphery of the lake of physical garbage, identifying and regulating sources of sewage to prevent contamination, dredging and de-silting the lake to remove deposits and strengthen the bunds, planting native species on the lake bund, and fencing the lake to protect aquatic flora and fauna from encroachment and trash accumulation. Arun also visits schools and colleges to spread awareness as he believes that engaging the people and sensitizing them about the importance of environment conservation is crucial and that the youth play a major role in the journey towards conserving the environment. 'Time' magazine named 36-year-old Arun Krishnamurthy as one of their "Next Generation Leaders" for 2022. In 2012, Arun received the Rolex Award for Enterprise for his work on lake restoration in Chennai and was the youngest recipient of the award. He was also mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 'Mann Ki Baat' speech in March 2022.