Waterman bats for water security Bill

The prevailing drought in Maharashtra, along with water scarcity in several other states across the country, has prompted Dr Rajendra Singh, the 'Waterman of India', to campaign for a water security Bill. Singh has proposed several solutions for reviving Maharashtra's water resources, while on a visit to Mumbai to take part in the Dahisar river clean-up drive.

"The drought in Maharashtra is entirely man-made," Singh told dna, adding that urban lifestyles and farming practices in the state are at dissonance with nature. "The government's developmental plan has created this drought due to the cutting of trees, building of walls around rivers and working against nature," he said.

A water security Bill, believes Singh, is mandatory to combat droughts in the future. With an aim to form a detailed proposal for the same, he is organising a 'Jal Satyagraha' first in Latur on May 1 and then in Delhi on May 5. The plan includes restoring and cleaning up rivers, supplementing water tables and improving irrigation practices. It also propounds the idea of a water reserve bank, a storage enterprise that should have enough water to tackle five years of drought.

"The Jal Satyagraha in Latur will involve the rejuvenation of a pond in the morning to make it clean for the impending monsoon. After this event, there will be discussions with all the stakeholders willing to rid Maharashtra of the water crisis," Singh, who is also the 2015 Stockholm Prize winner, said.