Rajendra Singh, popularly known as ‘The Water Man of India’, began his work in the 80's. His initial idea was to build health centers in rural areas, but after living with the villagers he found out that water was a much greater need. For his efforts and achievements, he has been awarded the 2015 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate.
The lack of water was causing an exodus of young people, leaving behind women, elderly people and children to fend for themselves. The surrounding wells were dry and no crop thrived, so Singh decided to focus on solutions. With the help of the villagers, he began to build modernized versions of traditional earthen dams (johads) which fell into disuse during the colonial era.
Twenty years of continuous work have enabled access to water to over 1000 villages across Rajasthan, and more than 8,600 johads and similar structures have been built. As a result, rivers are now flowing again, the forest cover has increased and some animal species are reappearing. By collecting rainwater and because the groundwater has been recovered, the risk of droughts and floods has decreased to almost zero in what used to be the driest state in India.
“The way we have worked is a way to solve the issue of droughts and floods worldwide, so we believe that the impact of this work is at a local, national and international level. When we started out, we were just trying to solve the drinking water crisis in Rajasthan. Today, our goal is greater. We are in the 21st century, the century of exploitation, pollution and encroachment. To be able to stop this, turn the water war into peace, that is my goal in life”, says Rajendra Singh.
Source: thebetterindia.com
