Reacting to Climate Change: The Rainman

In India some call him a water god. Others the rainman. His real name is Rajendra Singh and his nicknames come from his self-imposed mission to solve India's water problems. His work has provided big relief to the thousands of people of the Indian state of Rajasthan who are under increasing stress as a result of unpredictable rainfall patterns because of climate change.

Alwar district, along with other areas of Rajasthan was a dark zone. The villagers could no longer fetch clean water because the water level had gotten very low. Many people left this village in search of a better life and water. Singh knew the solution to this problem is indigenous water conservation.

He and his organization Tarun Bharat Sangh introduced building traditional dams called Johads to store water. The dams are made of earth and rock. They are made to capture rain so the water will trickle down and refill the soil eventually giving rise to water in the wells and bringing dead rivers back to life. After making a name in Rajasthan, leaders from his home village, Dora Gaon, approached him and asked him to return to revitalize the dying fields. It is because of his efforts that today the village is once again alive. Life has become little easier.

Agriculture in India is rain-fed and therefore, vulnerable to increasing climate variability. As rainfall patterns change, droughts are also increasing in frequency. This indigenous technology of dam building has helped people to access water for domestic and agricultural use during the region's long dry seasons.

Since 1985 Singh's organisation has built some 4,500 earthen check dams to collect rainwater in some 850 villages across northern India. He emphasizes the role and efforts of local communities. Without their cooperation, as he says, nothing was possible.

The construction of traditional dams has made life easier in many villages. The villagers no longer travel long distances to fetch water. The region now has enough water, and the girls are able to go to school, and many young men that had left the village have returned. Some are doing farming and others are selling their vegetables in nearby towns.

In his own words, the success of Singh's work is a hopeful sign. If a simple person like him can do this much to deal with a climate change the world leaders can do wonders. The only question remains is how much efforts they are really going to make on the ground.

Story: Syed Nazakat & D J Clark

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About D J Clark

D J Clark has worked worldwide as a photojournalist for more than 20 years.

He specialises in working with international development NGOs to highlight social, political and environmental issues through long term photography projects.

D J Clark researches and writes about photography as a vehicle for social change, the subject that drives both his photographic and academic work. More recently his work has concentrated on Multimedia news production.