Ahmedabad: River rejuvenator and environmentalist Rajendra Singh, who is popularly known as waterman, expressed deep concern about the country's rivers during his visit to Gujarat. While talking to ETV Bharat in Ahmedabad, he warned of acute water scarcity and climate crisis in the coming years as millions of people are already displaced due to water shortage.
Singh, who hails from Alwar district of Rajasthan, won the Magsaysay Award in 2001 and Stockholm Water Prize in 2015. He runs an NGO called 'Tarun Bharat Sangh' (TBS), which was founded in 1975.
According to Singh, the situation in India, which is known as land of water due to its vibrant river culture, is bad. “There is no civilization without rivers and Indian society has survived and evolved for centuries through harmony with nature. India was the pioneer in ancient times, but today India has become a country of copycat sadly,” the environmentalist said.
'Need river flow not riverfront'
Singh said that there is an effort to increase the beauty of the river in the country and the world today. “Rivers are getting heavily polluted. Rivers should be revived like before, so that there is no water insecurity in the country. The projects which link rivers will prove to be dangerous for the rivers of the country,” he added.
Flagship project with Anant University
Singh has joined the post of 'Practice Professor' for the first time. In this project, Singh will engage Anant University students in community leadership in environmental design studies. Under this unique project, students will visit villages and learn about water recharge and rainwater harvesting systems. “It's an effort to disseminate the traditional knowledge of the country. There is an urgent need to revive water storage in the country,” he signed off.
