# Rajasthan Teacher Bajrang Lal Jethu Restores 50 Ponds Across 32 Years, Funnels Book Awards into Water Conservation

> Retired government teacher Bajrang Lal Jethu from Sikar has revitalised 50 traditional ponds and built 350 water harvesting structures across Rajasthan over three decades.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Rajasthan · **Published:** 2026-10-07 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/rajasthan/rajasthan-ke-shikshaka-bajrang-lal-jethu-ne-32-sala-men-snvare-50-talaba-kitabon-ki-puraskara-rashi-bhi-jala-snrakshana-men-lagai-44231 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Bajrang Lal Jethu, Water Conservation, Sikar, Rajasthan, Pond Restoration, National Water Award, Shekhawati

A dedicated educator from Rajasthan has spent over three decades demonstrating how grassroots action can protect community water resources. Bajrang Lal Jethu, a resident of Jethwa Ka Bas in the Fatehpur tehsil of Sikar district, turned water conservation into his core life mission after beginning his professional career as a government teacher. Over the past 32 years, his conservation journey has continued uninterrupted, carrying on with the same dedication even after his retirement. By combining his personal savings, proceeds from his literary achievements, and local public contributions, he has restored and cleaned approximately 50 neglected, traditional ponds across the districts of Sikar, Nagaur, and Churu.

## The 1993 Election Duty That Sparked a Lifelong Mission
The turning point in his life occurred in 1993 during an official assignment in Nagaur district. While handling election duties in the Jaswantgarh area, Bajrang Lal noticed numerous dried-up village ponds falling into disrepair due to a lack of upkeep and maintenance. These historical reservoirs were rapidly losing their presence in the local landscape. Later, election work took him to the village of Mundwa, where he encountered a starkly different scene: a well-maintained pond that consistently met the water needs of the surrounding community. Witnessing Mundwa's functioning water body made him realise that if traditional reservoirs were desilted, cleaned, and properly repaired, vast quantities of precious monsoon rainwater could be harvested and preserved. Such efforts could significantly curb chronic water scarcity throughout rural settlements.

## Channeling Literary Awards Directly into Water Reservoirs
Following that realisation, Bajrang Lal resolved to spend his spare time outside classroom duties reviving water bodies. What began as a modest individual initiative gradually evolved into an expansive public campaign. He mobilised local residents and consistently contributed his own earnings whenever project funding fell short. Alongside his teaching career, Bajrang Lal pursued literature and has published approximately 10 books. Rather than utilizing the cash prizes and awards received for his published works for personal expenses, he invested the entirety of those funds directly into the cleaning, de-silting, and restoration of village ponds. He gathered community contributions to complement his investments, revitalising dozens of historic reservoirs.

## Constructing 350 Rainwater Structures Across Shekhawati and Marwar
His efforts expanded across the arid stretches of the Shekhawati and Marwar regions. Beyond restoring more than 50 traditional water bodies, Bajrang Lal oversaw the construction of around 350 water collection structures and facilitated rainwater harvesting systems at over 50 locations. Firm in his belief that water preservation is a shared civic responsibility rather than the sole concern of the government, he worked extensively with schools and youth. He organized roughly 60 essay-writing competitions to teach students about water stewardship. To bring the message to wider digital audiences, he produced six short films and made them available on YouTube, urging people to take practical action in their home communities.

## Recognition with the National Water Award
In acknowledgment of his decades-long dedication to grassroots water conservation, the Central Government honoured Bajrang Lal Jethu with the prestigious National Water Award in 2025. Over the years, he has also received the Best Teacher Award at the state level alongside numerous environmental recognitions. Despite these honours, his field projects continue at full pace. He maintains that preserving traditional village ponds is essential to capturing rainwater, which remains fundamental to securing a sustainable future for upcoming generations.

## What this means for you
This story highlights how community-driven restoration of traditional water bodies can solve chronic rural water scarcity.

- **Across India:** Communities and local administrations can learn that reviving traditional, neglected ponds is often more sustainable than solely constructing new water projects. Desilting community reservoirs before the monsoon dramatically accelerates local groundwater recharge.
- **In Rajasthan:** Across arid districts like Sikar, Nagaur, and Churu, the revival of 50 ponds and 350 structures has provided vital water security for local households and livestock. Rural communities can replicate this community-funded model to protect local aquifers against severe droughts.
- **For students and youth:** School competitions and short digital films have engaged younger generations in active ecological stewardship. Young people can take the lead in surveying, cleaning, and safeguarding neighborhood catchment areas.
- **For creators and professionals:** Directing literary earnings and honors into public utility projects sets a powerful standard for personal civic action. Professionals can similarly pledge awards and discretionary funds toward solving basic local environmental challenges.

## Why this happened
Severe groundwater distress in arid Rajasthan paired with the historical neglect of traditional village ponds sparked this three-decade conservation mission.

- **Direct trigger:** While on 1993 election duty in Jaswantgarh, Bajrang Lal Jethu witnessed silted, abandoned village ponds, whereas nearby Mundwa village maintained a thriving pond that supplied the entire community. That contrast prompted him to dedicate his spare time to reviving historical catchments.
- **Contributing conditions:** Over reliance on piped supply and changing rural lifestyles had led communities to abandon the regular maintenance and desilting of heritage reservoirs. Without regular upkeep, natural rainwater runoff went uncollected.
- **Funding approach:** Rather than waiting for external grants, Jethu invested his personal savings, earnings from 10 published books, and community donations directly into de-silting and constructing rainwater structures.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Who is Bajrang Lal Jethu?
He is a retired government teacher from Jethwa Ka Bas in Sikar district, Rajasthan, who has dedicated 32 years to water conservation.

### 2. How did his water conservation mission begin?
During election duty in Nagaur district in 1993, seeing a functional community pond in Mundwa village inspired him to restore degraded water bodies.

### 3. How many ponds and rainwater structures has he restored?
He has revived around 50 traditional ponds across Sikar, Nagaur, and Churu, built roughly 350 water catchment structures, and set up over 50 rainwater harvesting units.

### 4. How were his conservation projects financed?
He financed the projects using his personal savings, prize money from his 10 published books, and contributions from local villagers.

### 5. What initiatives did he undertake to build community awareness?
He organized around 60 essay-writing competitions for students and produced six educational short films shared on YouTube.

### 6. Which national honor was conferred upon him?
The Central Government conferred the National Water Award upon him in 2025 for his exemplary contributions to water conservation.

## Inspiration & Lessons
A rural schoolteacher demonstrated that personal dedication and community participation can resolve profound environmental challenges.

- **Become the solution:** Instead of lamenting the decay of local water bodies, Bajrang Lal chose to actively organize and lead restoration efforts himself.
- **Selfless resource allocation:** Channeling honors and monetary prizes from 10 published books into ecological restoration reflects exemplary civic dedication.
- **Mobilising the community:** Treating water preservation as a collective social duty allowed him to recruit students, villagers, and youth into a lasting movement.
- **The power of consistency:** Working steadily across 32 years proves that long-term environmental recovery demands sustained, patient commitment rather than short-term campaigns.

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