I am starting reporting in this term with an inspiring and motivating story what can make us all proud. Yes, I want to share the story and success of Mr. Rajendra Singh, who is often called as ?The waterman of India?. In 1985, a 28-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh quit his government job, left his family and arrived in the dead of the night at a small village in Rajasthan?s Alwar district with the sole intension of solving the age old water crisis issue in the dry places of Rajasthan.

After his graduation, young Rajendra started thinking differently - this part of India has not always been so dry, so there must be a way to bring the water back, and Rajendra found out how to do that.  Through various traditional techniques, which are not only simple in nature, but also very cheap to operate, he (and his team) has brought water back to regions that were dry for years, and has brought rivers back to life after decades of being dry.  One of the most popular structures that are built are called johad?s.  ?A johad is a type of rainwater storage tank that is built on the ground out of anything from dirt and stone to concrete.  The Johad stores water collected during the rainy season so that it can be used for human or animal consumption throughout the year.  Another thing that is great about johads is that they help to replenish ground water?. When you have a body of water that is collected, whether it be in a johad, a pond, or a lake the water slowly percolates into the ground and replenishes groundwater supplies. 

Check dam is the another similar structure that Rajendra uses.  It?s fairly similar to the johad except that instead of collecting rainwater the check dams are set up across streams or small rivers and form pools.  These dams can also be made out of a number of materials dirt, rocks, logs, basically anything that will hold back water.  These dams are good for local populations because they don?t completely stop the flow of water, just make pools that then overflow and keep moving downstream.  These pools of water then replenish groundwater supplies in the same way that the johads do.  When you take an area that has been through several years of dought and has no groundwater and set up several if not dozens of these structures it?s amazing what can happen.

Since 1985 Rajendra and his groups have built 4,500 johads, to collect rainwater in some 850 villages in 11 districts in India, This is giving people their livelihood back the people in these villages now understand how to keep a plentiful supply of groundwater at all times, and if needed how to get more.

He has been awarded ?Stockholm Water Prize? 2015 and has won a number of awards including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership. But his journey was not not as smooth as we can think off. He had to face many obstacles to win the trust of the people and also to overcome all political/bureaucratic hurdles in a vast country like India.

His works and achievements are really inspiring to all of us and show us that with the real intention and will force we can do a magic and turn the sides.

Salute you Mr. Rajendra Singh – The Waterman of India  

Sources :

1) www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32002306

2) http://www.hydratelife.org/?page_id=935

Photos : Google Photos

Rajendra Singh with newly constructed Check dam