Rajendra Singh bags ‘Nobel’ prize for water

New Delhi: Rajendra Singh, known as "water man of India", has been awarded this year's annual Stockholm Water Prize. An award known as "the Nobel Prize for water" has been given to this campaigner, who has brought water to 1,000 villages. The judges of the Stockholm Water Prize say his methods have also prevented floods, restored soil and rivers, and brought back wildlife.

The judges say his technique is cheap, simple, and that his ideas should be followed worldwide. Singh uses a modern version of the ancient Indian technique of rainwater harvesting. The Tarun Bharat Sangh organization, of which Singh is a part, has worked to save rivers around the subcontinent.

Traditional rainwater collection methods are among the techniques being used by the group in order to rescue waterways threatened by a variety of dangers.Singh was an ayurvedic doctor when when started on his crusade to save rivers and other bodies of water around India.

He joined Tarun Bharat Sangh in 1981, and three years later, the entire board of the organization resigned after being grilled by Singh on their activities. In order to support the mission of the group, the activist sold his household goods.Five rivers in Rajasthan were saved by Singh, along with help from villagers who helped the activist build dams and 8,600 rainwater storage tanks known as johads.