Rajendra Singh, is fondly known as the ‘water man’ of India, and deservingly so, for he has brought water back to the once barren villages of Rajasthan, thus bringing the villages back to life. It all started at the Alwar district in Rajasthan in 1985. The water sources in the village had long dried up and the ground water levels were low. While deforestation, mining and insufficient rainfall were the main reasons, another major cause was that villagers were no longer using the traditional way of harvesting water such as johads or earthen check dams. These dams not only helped conserve rain water, but also helped in replenishing ground water levels. Through his organisation TBS (Tarun Bharat Sangh), he and his team rebuilt these johads and as the number of johads increased, the dry Aravri River soon turned into a perennial one. This was not all. He also fought against mining in the area and successfully stopped mining activity in the Aravalli ranges.
Slowly, more rivers in the region were revived. Rivers Bhagani, Jahajwali, Sarsa and Ruparel were no longer dry. Villages, which were once abandoned, now saw hectic farming activities. TBS also worked in the neighbouring districts of Jaipur, Bharatpur and Karauli.
By the end of 2001, TBS had covered an area of 6,500 square kilometres and also spread its work to some parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Around 11 districts of Rajasthan had earthen check dams to collect and conserve rain water, thus alleviating the problem of water shortage once and for all.
It was not just enough to initiate conservation methods but it was also necessary to reinforce people’s faith in traditional water conservation techniques and promote it. Singh started organising Pani Panchayat to spread awareness about maintaining ground water levels and the need to conserve natural resources. These panchayats proved to be a game changer winning people’s faith.
Rajendra Singh has been able to help more than 1000 villages in Rajasthan replenish their water resources and thus contributed to the livelihood of the villagers. Villagers loving call him the ‘Rain Man’, another sobriquet to the uncommon man whose vision transformed the lives of thousands of poor villagers. As ground water levels improved, so have the forest cover and wild life population in the region. The message that Singh often gives is, “See the earth like a bank. If you make regular deposits of water, you’ll always have some to withdraw. If you are just taking, you will have nothing in your account.”
Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s message of self-reliance, Rajendra Singh has set up community led institutions in villages so that the local people have a say in the distribution of resources since they know what they need best. He has also formed gram sabhas or village committees in each village, which decides on how to protect trees and water.
Singh believes that proper water management alone can tackle water crisis. He points out that it is due to rampant deforestation that water is not able to seep into the soil which results in floods in certain regions.
In 2001, he was honoured with the prestigious Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership.The Guardian in 2008, included him in the list of ‘50 people who could save the planet”. While Singh and his associates continue with their work, it is time the policy makers too join in to spread this simple message of water and environment conservation to other villages in India which are battling enormous water crisis.