He is the third person from Karnataka to receive the award since its inception in 1977.
The award, instituted by the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, was handed over to him at Mumbai on Friday (November 6). He was honoured for application of `Science and Technology for Rural Development’. The award encompasses a cash award of Rs 5 lakh, a citation and a memento.
The citation commended Ayyappa for the water literacy campaign launched by him which has reached 1.5 million people through 1,000 programmes spread across eight States of the country.
Recharging borewells
‘The Doctor of Dry Borewell’ has been instrumental in recharging more than 70,000 wells through easily replicable, sub-surface water conservation techniques. “Through your innovative and cost-effective methods, water has trickled from the driest of wells and crops have flowered where there were none for years on end,” the citation said.
Entire communities have been transformed into `Water warriors’ due to his achievements in striking a balance between water usage and water replenishment, it added.
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