Born: June 01, 1957

Ayyappa Masagi began his experiments in water conservation in 1994, mainly to save his own farm. In 2002, he left his formal job and took up water literacy work full time. Mr. Masagi invented several sub-soil water conservation catalysts in drought prone areas such as non irrigational sub-surface rain pits, stream water harvesting, sub-surface checks and underground lakes.

Ayyappa Masagi developed several innovative, cost effective, easily replicable, sub-surface water conservation structures for holding moisture for long periods for ensuring a guaranteed crop even in scanty rains in the traditionally drought prone areas of North Karnataka.

By this system, Mr. Masagi and his team have recharged more than 1000 tube wells with their direct intervention and it is estimated that more than 70,000 have been recharged indirectly. The system has become so popular that several tens of thousands of farmers have already replicated the process successfully.

Mr. Masagi is now trying to reach out to the corporate world. Companies which were spending Rs.1.5 lakh on purchasing water, were convinced to invest Rs.18 lakh and go in for a permanent solution. They are now water self-sufficient.

The water literacy campaign has reached 1.5 million people with 1000 programmes across 8 states in India with Rs. 380 million spent on ground water recharging. Mr. Ayyappa Masagi is known as Doctor of Dry Borewell, whose mission is to strike a balance between water usage and water replenishment through transforming communities into water warriors.

Water Literacy Foundation,
347, Parvathi Nilaya, Kallappa Layout
Amruthahalli, Sahakarnagar Post,Bangalore,
Karnataka - 560 092
Mobile: 91 - 94483 79497
E-mail: rainwatermasagi2000@yahoo.co.in