Invited Talk and Book Launch by Dr Rajendra Singh – Waterman of India (Jal Purush)

Date : September 07, 2022
Time: 03:45 – 05:30 pm
Venue: Auditorium

Dr Rajendra Singh, popularly known as the Waterman of India (Jal Purush), launched his book titled ‘REJUVENATION OF RIVERS’, Climate Resilience | Livelihoods | Dignity Living Examples, at NU on September 07, 2022.  He also gave a talk to NU students, faculty and staff.

The book was launched at Stockholm a few days ago. Details can be found at e 7th.

https://norden.iofc.org/en/latest-news/rejuvenation-rivers

The book launch ceremony began at 3.45 PM just before his interaction with the students.

Some persons of the local ‘Jal Biradari’ were invited for the book launch along with some members of the local media.

Brief Profile of Shri Rajendra Singh

Rajendra Singh is a globally known water conservationist. Recently appointed as Chairman of the World Flood Drought Pupils Commission, he is also known as the ‘Waterman of India”. He won the Stockholm Water Prize, an award known as the Nobel Prize for water, in 2015. Previously, he won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership in 2001 for his pioneering work in community-based efforts in water harvesting and water management. He runs an NGO called ‘Tarun Bharat Sangh’ (TBS), which was founded in 1975. The NGO has effectively helped villagers take charge of water management in their semi-arid area as it lies close to Thar Desert, through the use of johad, rainwater storage tanks, check dams and other time-tested as well as path-breaking techniques. Starting from a single village in 1985, over the years TBS helped build over 8,600 johads and other water conservation structures to collect rainwater for the dry seasons, has brought water back to over 1,000 villages and revived five rivers in Rajasthan, Arvari, Ruparel, Sarsa, Bhagani and Jahajwali.

He is one of the members of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) under Ministry of Environment, Govt. of India, which was set up in 2009, by the Government of India as an empowered planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating authority for the Ganges (Ganga), in exercise of the powers conferred under the Environment (Protection) Act,1986. In 2008, The Guardian named him amongst its list of ‘50 people who could save the planet’.

You can read more about about Dr. Rajendra Singh at https://indiacsr.in/rajendrasingh/ and his NGO at https://tarunbharatsangh.in/ .  A description of his work is at https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/rajendra-singh-waterman-of-india-who-left-a-government-job-to-conserve-water-bodies-578985.html