The Stockholm Water Prize is a global award that was founded in 1991; it is presented annually by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) to an individual, an organisation or an institution for outstanding water-related achievements, and this year the prize went to the “Waterman of India,†Rajendra Singh.
Singh was awarded the prize “for his innovative water restoration efforts, improving water security in rural India, and for showing extraordinary courage and determination in his quest to improve the living conditions for those most in need.â€
Rajendra Singh, from Alwar district, Rajasthan in India, is well-known for his water conservation efforts over the past twenty years, and won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership for his work in community-based efforts in water management and water harvesting in 2001.
A pioneer in his field, Singh established an NGO called Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS), through which he teaches the community to practice water management via rainwater storage tanks, johads, check dams, and various other techniques. The methods used are not highly technological; they are age-old methods used by Indians many decades ago that have been innovatively modernised and they are giving inhabitants of these areas hope and control over their lives and the most precious resource of all, water.
Rajendra Singh began his quest to make a difference in the semi-arid region in a single village in 1985, and has since, via TBS, helped build over 11,000 johads and other water conservation structures to collect rainwater; these innovations have revived five rivers in Rajasthan and brought water back to over 1,000 villages.
In its citation, the Stockholm Water Prize Committee said that “today’s water problems cannot be solved by science or technology alone. Rajendra Singh’s life work has been in building social capacity to solve local water problems through participatory action, empowerment of women, linking indigenous know-how with modern scientific and technical approaches.â€
On receiving the Prize, Rajendra Singh said “I want to thank all in this world who work for water. Today I make a promise to dedicate the rest of my life to water conservation.â€
Source: World Water Week
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