Laxman Singh: Drought-proofing the desert, one step at a time
62 years old
Laporiya Village, Dudu Block, Jaipur District, Rajasthan
The Laporiya village, near Jaipur in Rajasthan, once stood as a symbol of destitution. Its broken mud embankment mirrored the challenges faced by its inhabitants: poverty, malnutrition, and an unrelenting battle against nature. Acute water scarcity was at the
heart of these issues. Farming being the primary occupation for its 200 families, drought, dilapidated infrastructure, and dry wells cast a shadow on agricultural viability. Laxman Singh, born into a farming family in Laporiya, first attempted to usher in change
in the form of a humble gathering of village elders, where he proposed the renovation of the village pond to improve its water-holding capacity. The response was underwhelming. He recalls doubts were raised about the plan’s viability, labour availability and other aspects. Despite facing initial resistance from village officials
for rule-framing initiatives, such as tree-cutting penalties and fines for hunting, Singh persisted.
What began as a small group of three young men in the late 1970s soon expanded into thousands of village residents working to restore their water resources. One by one, the three major ponds in the village - Anna Sagar, Phool Sagar, and Dev Sagar came alive. Next came grazing lands, then canals. “We built pond after pond after pond,” he says. Soon, Singh set up the Gramvikas Navyuvak Mandal (GVNML), a forum dedicated to the
development of the village. Today, the GVNML Foundation - as it is commonly known - is home to various community-driven sustainability activities, including the Dharti Jatan Yatra, which is a campaign to mobilise communities for strengthening conservation action. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2023 for his remarkable contribution in the field of water and environment conservation over the last four decades.
His ingenuity extended beyond pond restoration; he introduced the “Chauka” system which is a water-harvesting method with channels and square pits facilitating rainwater collection and cattle grazing. “When we went into the pastures during rains, we found that the water on the ground would quickly disappear as soon as it stopped raining,” says Singh. The Chauka system, which involves breaking long slopes into shorter ones and slowing down the flow of water during rainfall, was particularly useful for collecting rainwater and enhancing soil moisture on grazing lands. It allowed excess runoff to be directed into nearby water bodies. The outcomes of the Chauka system have been observed across the ecosystem: the subsequent growth of grass, shrubs, and trees and increased fodder and water availability for livestock.
“There should be a pond in the village, there should be grazing animals, there should be birds, there should be high-quality breeds of goats, there should be rivers of milk and curd flowing. That is our village, which feeds milk to Jaipur”
The collective implementation of the Chauka system not only revitalised the village’s common lands but also strengthened the harmonious relationship between nature, humans, livestock and wildlife, now evident in the constant chirping sounds that one experiences when visiting the grazing lands, even in the peak summer season.
After two decades of work, Laporiya is flourishing today, its fields full of crops, average incomes on the rise, and droughts dodged. Today with flourishing grazing lands, our animals have ample fodder and water, and this helps residents get good production of milk. It is our village, which feeds milk to Jaipur,” Singh says proudly. Through Laporiya, he has shown what communities with scarce water resources can do to get nature back
on their side.
Singh’s actions prove that community ownership can be transformative for water, livestock, and rural livelihoods. His work illustrates the value of tradition and community practices in managing resources, reminding us that places with high rainfall may not always have enough drinking water in the absence of adequate management. “But look at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, which may receive 150-300mm rainfall,” he says. “But they don’t say, ‘we don’t have water.’ Because they have a tradition.”
It all ties into a collective, historical ethos of living intertwined with the earth. “We have the tradition of worshipping ponds, rivers and earth,” Singh explains. “And we don’t just keep these traditions in our minds - we live them. And when we do so, what love, what abundance Mother Earth rewards us with! It’s truly a miracle.”
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