An Indian campaigner from Alwar district in Rajasthan has been conferred "the Nobel Prize for water" award for bringing water to 1,000 villages.
Rajendra Singh, dubbed "the Water Man of India," used a modern version of the ancient Indian technique of rainwater harvesting to address the problem of water crisis in arid Rajasthan, reported the BBC.
It involved building low-level banks of earth to hold back the flow of water in the wet season and allow water to seep into the ground for future use.
The judges of the Stockholm Water Prize said that his "cheap and simple" methods prevented floods, restored soil and rivers, and brought back wildlife. They added that his methods should be followed worldwide.
Singh, who first trained as a medic, took up a post in a village in Rajasthan when he was told that the greatest need in the region was not health care but drinking water.
He said that when he started working, they were only looking at resolving the drinking water crisis. However, Singh added that the aim today was higher and that he intended to convert the war on water into peace in a century marked by "exploitation, pollution and encroachment."
Torgny Holmgren, director of the Stockholm International Water Institute, called Singh "a beacon of hope" in a world where demand for freshwater is booming and people are set to face a severe water crisis within decades if they do not learn how to better take care of water.
