Rajendra Singh, who has been dubbed “the Water Man of India” has been awarded the Stockholm Water Prize for his efforts to bring fresh water to 1,000 villages. Using a modern version of ancient rainwater harvesting techniques, the judges said his methods have also restored soil and rivers, brought back wildlife and prevented floods.

The Stockholm Water Prize, which is awarded by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is considered the “Nobel Prize” of water.

Singh, born in 1959, was first trained as a medic. However, after taking a post in rural Rajasthan he was told by the locals that they needed drinking water more than health care.

Groundwater in the region had been drained by farmers causing drought conditions in an already arid region. As the groundwater disappeared, rivers dried, forests and crops failed and wildlife disappeared.

With the assistance of villagers, Singh began to build “johads”, traditional Indian earthen dams which hold back the flow of water during the wet season and allow it to seep into the ground for use in the dry season.

After two decades of working in Rajasthan, Singh has helped to build 8,600 johns as well as other structures to collect and manage water. To date he has returned adequate supplies of water to 1,000 villages. Several of the regions dry rivers are flowing again, forest cover has increased and local wildlife such as leopard and antelope have begun to return.

In the official citation to Mr. Singh, The Stockholm Water Prize Committee said “today’s water problems cannot be solved by science or technology alone. They are instead human problems of governance, policy, leadership, and social resilience. 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 and upending traditional patterns of development, resource use, and social norms.”

“In a world where demand for freshwater is booming, where we will face a severe water crisis within decades if we do not learn how to better take care of our water, Mr Singh is a beacon of hope. He has literally brought villages back to life. We need to take Mr Singh’s lessons and actions to heart if we are to achieve sustainable water use in our lifetime,” said Torgny Holmgren, SIWI’s Executive Director.

Rajendra Singh’s work in Rajasthan has been instructive for more developed nations.

The award was presented by Katherine Pygott, a leading water engineer in the UK who says that she has drawn on Singh’s work in her own. Pygott has been promoting a plan to slow rivers and create deliberate flooding in the hills in order to prevent flooding in the lowlands of the UK.

“This is very encouraging, energizing and inspiring news. Through the Indian wisdom of rainwater harvesting, we have made helpless, abandoned, destitute and impoverished villages prosperous and healthy again,” said Mr. Singh in a statement.

SIWI is an international organization involved in research and advisory services aimed at promoting sustainable development of the world’s water resources. In addition to the the Stockholm Water Prize, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize and the Stockholm Industry Water Award, SIWI organizes World Water Week in Stockholm.