IAS officer from Karnataka's Tiptur brings about RWH revolution in Madhya Pradesh

NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: In a proud moment for Karnataka, IAS officer Dr Nagarjun B Gowda, a native of Tiptur in Tumakuru district and now CEO of Khandwa Zilla Panchayat in Madhya Pradesh, was honoured by President Droupadi Murmu at Vigyan Bhavan on Tuesday. Khandwa district was declared the Best Performing District in the country under the Union Jal Shakti ministrys rainwater harvesting programme, earning a cash award of Rs 2 crore. Dr Gowda and Khandwa Collector Rishav Gupta received the award together, for their model of water conservation that has turned a semi-arid region into a national example. Speaking to The New Indian Express after the ceremony, Dr Gowda traced the roots of his mission back to his childhood in drought-hit Tiptur. Khandwa resembles my hometown. I grew up watching my parents Bette Gowda and Prabha Gowda, both teachers but from a farming family, and neighbours struggle for water. As a boy, I would cycle long distances to fill a few buckets from borewells that barely yielded anything, he recalled. Sometimes I would yank that borewell lever for up to 10 minutes before it yielded a precious bucket of water, he added. Just north of Tumakuru is Chitradurga, among the most arid regions in Karnataka which has been drought-hit for decades. Those memories followed him through medical school in Mandya, where water scarcity and a recurring Cauvery crisis left a deep impact. So when the Jal Sanchay, Jan Bhagidari scheme was launched, it became personal, he said. Under the leadership of DC Rishav Gupta, and with Dr Gowda spearheading the grassroots effort, Khandwa mounted a district-wide movement. Officials, from the village accountant to the DC, went from village to village, urging residents, farmers, schools and government offices to adopt rainwater harvesting. The result: Over 1,29,000 installations, including 40,000 rooftop water harvesting systems, recharge pits, trenches and other structures, turned Khandwa into a rainwater-positive district, and set a benchmark for the country. Next year, we are targeting more such structures. This award belongs to the people of Khandwa, Dr Gowda said. Back home in Karnataka, the achievement resonates strongly: a son of the soil, shaped by drought, has shown India how to turn scarcity into abundance.