A national award for the East Zone
In the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s 6th National Water Awards, Kishore Jaiswal of Bihar was named first in the East Zone in the category “Best Individual for Excellence in Water Sector”. The award was for the 2024 cycle and was announced and presented in 2025. It is the firm official anchor of his story.
Watershed work in Munger
The Times of India describes him as a Munger resident and water-conservation activist. Earlier, in 2020, The Indian Express reported him working on water harvesting in Munger, Jamui and Banka with NABARD and other agencies. So his work in the field was documented years before the award.
In that same 2020 report on Bihar’s falling groundwater, he called the situation “very alarming”. Five years later, the national award became public recognition of that long involvement.
Water literacy and community systems
Recent coverage links his work to integrated water resource management, watershed development, reviving water bodies and teaching communities about water. In projects like these, building a structure is only part of the job. Planning how much water to use, maintaining it together, using it well for irrigation and helping it soak back into the ground matter just as much.
Beyond the award
The 2025 award has made him more visible, but he should not be remembered only as an award-winning activist. His real story lies in the individual watershed sites and projects, and the change in water before and after. A response to a groundwater crisis needs long-term work, district by district.
Sources
- PIB: 6th National Water Awards winners
- Times of India: Munger resident wins national award for water conservation
- The Indian Express (2020): report on Bihar's falling water table
- pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2188892&lang=2®=48
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/munger-resident-wins-national-award-for-water-conservation/articleshow/125256218.cms
- indianexpress.com/article/india/report-shows-sharp-dip-in-water-table-across-bihar-6280413/lite/