Simon Oraon
The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Padma Shri Award to Shri Simon Oraon, at a Civil Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on April 12, 2016
Born
Khaksi Toli, Jharkhand, India
Other namesWaterman
Simon Baba
Occupation(s)Environmentalist
Social worker
Years activeSince 1961
Known forEnvironmental efforts
AwardsPadma Shri
Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellow

Simon Oraon Minj, popularly known as the Waterman of Jharkhand in the media and Simon Baba among his villagers, is an Indian environmentalist and social worker, who is known to have worked to combat drought in the state of Jharkhand.[1] His efforts have been reported behind the construction of five irrigation reservoirs as well as an environmental project which included mass tree plantation and digging of wells and ponds in the Bero Block near Ranchi, covering 51 villages.[2] The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2016, for his contributions to society.[3]

Biography

Simon Oraon was born in Khaksi Toli village, a small village under the Bero Block, around 35 km away from Ranchi,[4] in a catholic farmer's family[5] and had school education only up to class IV.[6] His villagers relied heavily on rainwater for their agriculture and did farming only for a limited period every year due to scarcity of water. This is known to have prompted Oraon in building a reservoir at the footsteps of the nearby hills which he did with the assistance of his fellow villagers in 1961. Though the initial attempt and the subsequent attempt the next year did not last long, the third dam, built with the help of local authorities survived and is providing irrigation assistance to the village to the day. This was followed by two more dams at Deshbali and Jharia and several ponds in the neighbouring villages of Hariharpur, Jamtoli, Khaksitoli, Baitoli and Bhasnanda.[7] In all, he helped construct five check dams in the region.[8]

In 1964, the villagers elected him as the Parha Raja (Chief of the tribe) and he initiated the social forestry program at his ancestral property which he continues, planting 1000 trees every year, to prevent soil erosion and depletion of water resources.[7] He formed a 25-member village committee with the representation of all the nearby villages which administers the forestry drive. He also heads the people's movement which fights against deforestation and illegal felling of trees. His efforts are reported to have assisted in the cultivation of over 2000 acres of land, producing three crops a year and yielding 20,000 mt of vegetables annually.[9] He served as the Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellow during 2012–14.[7] The Government of India honored him with the civilian award of the Padma Shri in 2016.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Jharkhand's waterman gets Padma Shri for waging war against drought". Hindustan Times. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Jharkhand's octogenarian water warrior". India Water Portal. 28 February 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  3. ↑ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "Meet the Waterman from Jharkhand". Holdsome Detail. 3 April 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "Indian octogenarian honored for preserving the environment". UCA News. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "A 73-year-old who saves rainwater and jungles". Indian Express. 3 December 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 "Simon Baba is still continuing his life-long struggle to conserve jungles of Jharkhand". PMRD Fellows. 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  8. ↑ Niranjan Pant; R. K. Verma (2010). Tanks in Eastern India: a study in exploration. IWMI. pp. 53–. ISBN 978-92-9090-731-2.
  9. ↑ "Power Of Traditional Knowledge". The Logical Indian. 28 February 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "How Jharkhand's Waterman Is Ensuring All Year Water Supply in 51 Villages & Bringing Back the Forest". The Better India. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "India honours elderly Catholic for preserving environment". Vatican Radio. 18 April 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.

Further reading

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