Aabid Surti’s NGO – Drop Dead Foundation – fixes leaky faucets for free in Mumbai to save water, which has helped save millions over the years.
By Sowmya Mani
A newspaper report in 2007 shook Aabid Surti to take action. The report stated that for every drop of water that fell per second from a leaking tap, 1000 litres went down the drain per month.
That’s when the 87-year-old formed Drop Dead Foundation, an NGO, with the tagline — ‘Save every drop, or drop dead’.
This one-man army goes around with a plumber and volunteer, fixing leaking faucets across Mumbai for free.
Growing up in Mumbai, Surti saw his mother queuing up for water at 4 AM daily. He remembers watching people fight for water while standing in that queue.
These experiences are the reason why the need to save every drop comes inherently to him.
“I believe in saving every drop of water because I know its value. I have been brought up on the pavement, and there I have seen people fighting for every bucket of water. My childhood is behind me, but the fight for water has remained with me to this day. So, every drop and every leakage haunts me,” says Surti to NDTV.
Every Sunday he visits a building on Mira Road, Mumbai, to repair leaking faucets.
To facilitate these Sunday visits, Surti visits the building on the prior Monday to take the necessary permission from the secretary and puts up posters. Then, the following Sunday morning, they start knocking on every door of that building, asking people if their faucets need fixing.
This way, he has managed to save over 20 million liters of water so far.
Apart from being a water champion, Surti is also an author, painter, cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, and journalist.
