Johads and Rajendra Singh

Logging and mining in the 20th century decimated the forests and damaged the watersheds of the Alwar district in Rajasthan, India. What was once a verdant place became dotted with barren hills, desertified farmlands, dried streams and parched pasturelands. Floods during the monsoon rains and lack of water during of the dry season made farming unproductive. Many villagers, thus, migrated to the cities for jobs. Those that remained had to work very hard to eke out a living from agriculture.

Desertified lowland Denuded mountain Scrawny pasture

In 1985, Rajendra Singh and four companions from the small organization he founded Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS Young India Association) came to Alwar to see what they can do for the villagers. In their talks with people of the districts, they learned that Alwar before the advent of logging and mining, was adequately supplied with water. One of the reasons for this was the presence of johads, earth dams or reservoirs for impounding precious monsoon rainwater. The johads stored rainwater and recharged wells and streams keeping them flowing most of the year to water farm crops and animals.

Rajendra Singh Photo Rajendra talking with villagers TBD workers in dialogue with villagers

This was an indigenous, ancient low-cost and effective technology for catching and storing rain water.

Newly repaired johad

Functioning rehabilitated johad

Having, thus, ascertained the pressing need of the district, Singh and company went about repairing and deepening existing johads. The villagers were ecstatic at seeing abandoned but repaired johads filled up with monsoon rainwater. They also realized that johads recharged wells and streams with water. But Singh and company also introduced advanced water-impounding technology in the form of concrete anicuts or dams in rivulets and streams to raise water levels and also for erosion control.

Anicut Anicut Anicut nearing completion

With their initial success, TBT easily duplicated their successful johad projects in other areas of the district. Today, in Alwar and ten other adjacent districts, 4,500 johads dot the landscape. With their success, TBS easily mobilized villagers to other activities that will improve their lot, such as: reforestation, formation of cooperatives, political mobilization, and cultural education. When the government objected to the construction of johads, villagers demonstrated against this unwise, obstructionist government action. To inculcate in the people environmental consciousness, TBS-influenced villages annually hold a forest festival in which villagers in their best clothes trek to the forest for a festive celebration.

Demonstration against government policy on johan.

Village Annual Forest Festival

The benefits of the work of Rajendra Singh and TBS in resurrecting the ancient technology of johads for conservation of the vital resource of water are there for all to see: johads, anicuts, recharged streams, flowing wells, return of wildlife, easier access to potable water, increase farm acreage, reforested barren hills, and best of all, an awakened, educated, and motivated country people.

Rajendra Singh, greeting a girl carrying water from nearby johad

Various flowing streams recharged by johads

Wild Deer's in streams recharged by johads

Rajendra Singh, is deserving of the 2001, Ramon Magsaysay Award for community Leadership. Truly, he can look up to his accomplishments with pride and happiness.

Rajendra Singh, looking at a farm made productive by water from a johad. A job well done.