But Rajender Singh has been working to restore supply to more than a thousand villages, and has rejuvenated 11 rivers using traditional techniques.
Read more: Restoring India’s depleting rivers – an uphill task Read more: Delhi’s water crisis highlights Indian capital’s vulnerability That stress is evident when the water stops flowing from community water taps such as this one.
Again today, I will have to beg my neighbor for a bucket of water," Bai told DW.
As many as 63 million Indians do not have access to clean drinking water, as reported by WaterAid, a global advocacy group on water and sanitation.
Read more: Narrowing floodplains threaten Delhi Singh’s organization Tarun Bharat Sangh is located just 40 miles from Alwar, in the village of Bheekampura.
At the event, Singh thanks people for their efforts in protecting local water supplies.
Read more: Why the world needs to recycle its wastewater Read more: World Water Council’s Braga: Water crises could be coming to your backyard Addressing the assembly, he explains how "johads," or earthen dams — an ancient Indian method for catching rainwater — can prevent flooding and raise groundwater levels.
Women are often at the frontlines of water stress in India.
"This was quite evident to see in the wells," Bai said.
That could mean severe water shortages for hundreds of millions of people.