After Mountain Man aka Dashrath Manjhi, India now, has its very own Waterman aka Rajendra Singh. While everyone keeps talking about different ways to save water, renowned water conservationist Rajendra Singh practically set the finest example of saving water with his innovative techniques and unmoving dedication. For years now, Singh has earnestly worked towards warding off drought and helped 1,000 villages to get water besides reviving 5 dried up rivers in rural areas of Rajasthan namely Arvari, Ruparel, Sarsa, Bhagani and Jahajwali.
He operates an NGO – Tarun Bharat Sangh that aims for the holistic development of men, women, and children, regardless of economic situation, caste or religion. TBS promotes the community-driven-decentralized-management of the natural resources (sic).
In order to improve life in villages (who largely face water crisis) Rajendra has been consistently working towards enhancing water security, water harvesting and water management.
As a 28-year-old social worker and a trained Ayurvedic doctor, Singh embarked on a journey with a mission of setting a free health camp and helping villagers. Upon reaching there and evaluating the situation, he realised the villagers were more worried about the lack of water than their own health.
He soon aborted his original mission and initiated work on water restoration. But being a trained Ayurvedic doctor, very little did he know about the conservation technique. Rajendra along with the help of two locals (Mangu Meena and Nathai Bhalai) began finding ways to restore water on the parched land.
Rajendra who is based in Alwar, Rajasthan has also been awarded the 2015 Stockholm Water Prize aka as the Nobel Prize for Water for his brilliant water restoration methods and water management. His efforts have resulted in improved vegetation and nurtured the water retention capacity of the soil and helped villagers get access to clean water.
Rajendra Singh uses techniques that are simple, economical and easy to implement. Some of the know-how methods (some of it being traditional) to improve water security and retain the flow of water include johad (traditional earthen dams) and check dams.
Rajendra’s sincere determination and innovative efforts in protecting one of the greatest resources will help us analyse and think over our water usage.
Story Input: The Logical Indian, First Post, BBC
Cover Image Source: Wikipedia