Dr. Rajendra Singh

The Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award

Over several decades, the Lifetime Awardee has consistently worked to protect natural ecosystems. Their ability to drive change at the local, national and global level is making the planet a better place for human as well as non-human animals. They inspire and bring millions together, shift minds in the community and among decision-makers, and carve a path for a sustainable future.

Dr. Rajendra Singh
River restorationist, water conservationist, changemaker

Just as the term ‘Herculean effort’ is inspired by the mighty Greek hero Hercules to describe an extraordinary feat, Indian languages have their own equivalent  – ‘Bhagiratha Prayatna’. This phrase honours the mythological King Bhagiratha, whose relentless devotion brought the sacred Ganga river down from the heavens to flow on Earth. Today, while the Ganga struggles under the weight of pollution and neglect, a real-life Bhagiratha walks among us – Dr. Rajendra Singh, the ‘Waterman of India’. Through sheer perseverance and grassroots action, he has not revived just one, but over 14 rivers that had run dry, thus breathing life back into the Earth and its dependent communities. His work is living testament to what true, modern-day Bhagiratha Prayatna looks like.

Dr. Rajendra Singh, born on August 6, 1959, in Doula village of Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district, has dedicated his life to restoring harmony between people and nature. Armed with degrees in Ayurveda and Hindi literature, he chose a path of service, one that would transform parched lands and forgotten villages into thriving ecosystems of hope. As the founder and president of Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS), a grassroots organisation he established in 1975, Dr. Singh has inspired generations to reclaim their natural heritage. From its headquarters near the Bhikampura-Kishori village, on the edge of Rajasthan’s Sariska Tiger Reserve, TBS has grown into a beacon of community-led water conservation across India. For almost five decades, Dr. Singh and his team have worked hand in hand with rural communities to construct over 15,800 johads (traditional crescent-shaped rainwater harvesting structures) that have brought water security to an astounding 2,000 villages. These community-built marvels have revived groundwater, rejuvenated forests, and enlivened once-barren landscapes. What were once drought-stricken, desolate regions now flow with water and renewed purpose. Through Rajendra Singh’s unwavering vision and the collective spirit of the people, Tarun Bharat Sangh has not merely brought rivers and ecosystems back to life, but restored dignity, prosperity, and faith in the power of human resolve.

In 2023, Dr. Rajendra Singh assumed a global leadership role as Chair of the newly established People’s World Commission on Drought and Flood. Under his guidance, the Commission launched over 500 international programmes addressing the escalating crises of droughts and floods that endanger both rural livelihoods and urban resilience worldwide. And Dr. Singh’s impact extends far beyond advocacy. Known for his moral courage and being a steadfast voice for the environment, he has consistently stood against actions harmful to nature. Alongside the late Professor G.D. Agarwal, TBS’s Vice President, Dr. Singh played a pivotal role in a landmark environmental movement. When hydroelectric dam projects Loharinag Pala, Pala Maneri, and Bhaironghati were being built along the Bhagirathi river, a vital headstream of the Ganga, the duo recognised the irreversible harm these projects would cause to the river’s natural flow and sacred ecology. Together, they led a determined campaign that ultimately achieved an unprecedented victory: for the first time in India’s history, both the Central and State Governments formally acknowledged the need to preserve the uninterrupted flow of the Ganga.

Dr. Rajendra Singh has taken his mission far beyond the borders of India, inspiring a global movement for water conservation and ecological responsibility. In April 2015, he launched the Water Ethics, Justice and World Peace Tour – a powerful international campaign aimed at uniting communities around the shared challenge of water scarcity. The journey spanned continents, ultimately reaching over 60 countries across Africa, Central and West Asia, and Europe. At the heart of this initiative were human stories of individuals and families forced to flee their homes because of drought, water shortages, and environmental collapse, as water refugees in search of survival. This remarkable tour remains one of the only to-scale efforts of its kind in the world today.

A firm believer in the wisdom of traditional water conservation methods, Dr. Singh champions the revival of ancient practices, restoration of groundwater levels, and, above all, the empowerment of communities to take charge of their own local natural resources. For him, the future of sustainable water management lies not just in policy, but in the knowledge, participation, and stewardship of communities. Understandably, numerous prestigious honours have come his way, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2001 and the Stockholm Water Prize in 2015, often referred to as the ‘Nobel Prize for Water’.

By dedicating his life as a passionate spokesperson and tireless guardian of India’s rivers, educating the world about the importance of water in an era of climate crisis, and for enhancing the water security of thousands of villages, he has set a global example, and has left a lasting mark on India’s conservation legacy. For this we honour Dr. Rajendra Singh with the Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award, 2025.