The Waterman of India, Rajendra Singh, just cannot stifle a laugh thinking about the difference between his Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan and Kerala. He makes it seem as if the comparison is one of his fondest jokes.

“Your small state has 44 rivers. My Alwar district is bigger than your state but it does not have a single river,” Singh said in an exclusive interview to manoramaonline on the eve of World Water Day.

A bit of pride is also evident in his seemingly self-mocking banter. “How much of rainfall you get in a year,” he asks, and then by way of answer waves his hand from the floor to the ceiling of the room in which he is seated. “Now, how much of water we get a year,” he asks, using his hands to show that it is not more than the length of his palm.

Jaisalmer's pride, Kerala's undoing

"You have enough, and we have less," he said. “But today I can say that in my state there are no suicides in the name of water scarcity. But places like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, which are far more blessed with water, are moving towards a situation where there are suicides as a result of water scarcity,” Singh said. Here is the reason. “Rajasthan is sensitive about and has respect for water. As a result of which we are highly disciplined in the way we use water,” he said.

This was also the Waterman's way of saying that people in Kerala, because they have too much of water, are not serious about conserving it. He promptly issues a warning. "As a result of erosion and silting, Kerala is moving towards disaster," he said.

The signs are evident. "The rains have become erratic and harsh. If rains are erratic, there will be soil erosion that will eventually cause the silting of rivers. And because of erosion and silting, floods and droughts happen," he said.

Two ways to avert disaster

Singh recommends two immediate solutions. "Kerala needs a river rejuvenation policy," he said. In fact, the Waterman had given a blueprint of the rejuvenation strategy to the state government. "Your government had sought my opinion as part of the Haritha Kerala Mission. I worked hard to evolve a plan, and had submitted it to the government. However, I have not been contacted thereafter," he said with a smile that suggested he had already taken it in his stride.

Singh had used traditional village wisdom to revive five rivers that had dried up long before in Rajasthan. This was one of the reasons why he won the Magsaysay award in 2001 and the Stockholm Water Prize in 2015. He wants the flow of Kerala rivers to be slowed. “If Kerala can do it, its aquifers will be flush with sweet water. But if we do nothing about erosion and allow flash floods to happen, the aquifers will be left empty, leaving it open for salt water to move in," Singh said. After the floods, salt water intrusion has been reported from across the state.

"The next thing you need is water literacy," Singh said. What he refers to here is a massive public campaign on the lines of the “literacy campaign” on ways to conserve water.

Water thrice cursed

Singh cited three issues that plagued waterbodies across the country. Encroachment, over-exploitation, and pollution. "Encroachment can be stopped once and for all if the government of India can make a rule stipulating that all waterbodies should be identified, demarcated and notified," he said. Singh is also against opening up the country's water resources for unbridled exploitation by the industry. "Stop the underground exploitation of water. We should think of recycle and reuse of water for industrial purposes," he said.

Dams be damned

For those gunning for big dams, Rajendra Singh has a note of warning. "Big dams are not good, they are not healthy for our future. They kill our rivers," Singh said. Yet another reason why Singh is celebrated is his dogged fight that forced the first UPA government to decommission three dams (Loharinag Pala, Pala Maneri, and Kotli Bel) on Bhageerathi, one of the three headstreams of Ganga.

The fight is now on to shut down four other dams on Alakananda and Mandakani, the other two Ganga sources. The death of Prof G D Agarwal, better known as Swami Sanand, on October 11, 2018, after 111 days of fast demanding the closure of dams has shaken Singh.

Modi's betrayal and Waterman's vow

"Whoever had sought to betray Ganga will never be voted back to power," he said. Narendra Modi, before he became the prime minister, had promised the agitators that he would do in three months what the previous governments could not do in 30 years. "It was Swami Sanand who then convinced us that Modi would be true to his word," Singh said. "But after he became the prime minister, Modi forgot Swami Sanand and Ganga herself. Swamiji wrote three letters to the prime minister, all of which went unanswered," he said.

But the fight is on. The young ascetic, Swami Atmobodhanandaji's fast has crossed 150 days. Rajendra Singh is also continuing with his Ganga yatra that he had begun in October, 2018. Before Swami Sanand died, Singh also made a promise. "I told Swamiji that I will continue with the awareness work. And I made a vow that I will not cut my hair and beard till Swamiji's demands are met," he said.