Niligiri Water Resources : 

Over the years these natural systems and watersheds have seen a lot of change in the Nilgiris. Building a series of hydro electric projects, tunneling the water to different areas for irrigation, building reservoirs, planting the upper areas with commercial pulpwood species and replacing natural grasslands with tea and marshes with vegetables has changed the district's water regime. Besides affecting availability, the management of the resource has shifted from local communities and indigenous groups to the state. This has resulted in several community based systems to collapse and increased the dependence on a centralized body.

A change in the land use of each of these zones has led to a steady decline in the health of the watershed. The main difference was seen with the increase in the commercial plantations of eucalyptus and wattle wood in the upper areas and the dramatic increase in tea cultivation in the middle zone. According to a study done by the Central Soil and Water Conservation, Research and Training Institute at Udhagamandalam - there is a 16% reduction in the water yield from the catchments of eucalyptus plantations vis-a-vis that of grasslands.

Recognizing the criticality of water to the district in a situation increasingly characterised by recurrent shortages and competition between uses, a Study of Nilgiris water resources was undertaken in the district over 2001-2002.  The salient findings from this study was discussed by a consultative stakeholder group comprising administrators, researchers, practitioners, non-governmental organizations, representatives of district's regions, communities and occupations, and other stakeholders, on April 24, 2002, in Udhagamandalam.

Issues in Nilgiris Water Resources Management

The Nilgiris is an upstream catchment district and the bulk of its water resources are dedicated to power generation for the state.  The interests of the Nilgiris district vis a vis those of other districts and the state, will come in focus with increasing demands.  Further, water policy and programs in the state are not fully suitable to this hilly terrain and alternate approaches are needed that are based on local experience and best practice in other hilly regions.

The district experiences six months of dry period, is witnessing changes in the days and pattern of rainfall, has aquifers with limited ability to hold water for long periods, and signs of water stress in particular rural and urban locations are incipient.

Access to water resources seems to be determined by the location of settlements.  With growth of settlements, a mismatch has emerged between locations of settlements (both rural and urban), and ready availability of reliable water sources nearby.

The district depends on a variety of sources including springs (feeding about 30 percent of settlements), wells (28 percent), streams (24 percent), checkdams (6 percent), and others (rivers, tanks, borewells, etc.).  Amongst user communities, there is a high dependence on and preference for water from springs, streams and wells.  These water sources need to be studied and conserved in a systematic manner.  Further, there are a number of inter-linkages between the former two categories and other resource regimes (grasslands, sholas, plantations, etc.) that need further understanding for improved water management.

Overall, water resources are said to be abundant in the district but about a third of the sources are seasonal, more than 80 percent rural settlements have less than 40 lpcd (litres per capita per day) of water available, and shortages are common in urban locations.  These point to the urgency of studies and concerted action in the areas of water resources development, and judicious use and management of water resources and related resource regimes.

Traditional practices in water management have thrived in the district and provide an opportunity to learn from, for design of management mechanisms for the present and the future. There is a need for revival of traditional water management systems that are fast becoming out of use.

Management of water resources and related resource regimes, is the business of many stakeholders in the district and therefore, consultative processes of planning, decision-making and implementation, are crucial for successful outcomes for the district.

Outputs of the Group Discussions

Group 1

- Upstream catchment - Seen as an energy and water source for other regions/downstream/plains

- Sensitization of MPs & MLAs regarding Nilgiris

- Comprehensive land-use policy (as a water catchment conservation of the entire Nilgiris region)

- Shola regeneration areas to be protected - firewood depots

- Plantations vs. Sholas - harvest plantations to reduce pressure on Sholas

- Water management in rainy season

- Other sources for dry season

- Consider Shola-grassland ecosystem together

Group II

- Commercial vs. Domestic

- Rights of Nilgiris farmers over the water for irrigation

- Need for improved storage measures for domestic & irrigation

- Conservation of water supplied for domestic

- better management & distribution

- Proper maintenance (no leakages / wastage)

- Traditional vs Conventional - construction & maintenance of conventional systems to be handed over to local water users for better results

Group III

- Demand - Supply Gap

- Construct maximum number of check dams / maintenance of existing check dams

- Preservation of swamp areas

- Prevention of contamination of sources

- Waste water recycling

- Cheap storage devices : ferro cement / poly lined tanks

- Equitable water usage : guidelines required

- Involving communities in planning specifically for identification of sources

- Coordination between implementing agencies. E.g : Forest Dept. TWAD, EB (amendments in legislation required)

- Why traditional systems are not applicable in today's context -Change in land use has made the traditional system defunct. Growth in population - cannot cater to the numbers

- Aspects of traditional systems which can be relevant

- Planting & protection of area around with native species

In hilly areas rain water harvesting is to be attempted with caution - keeping in mind the topography / situation of the land. For agriculture purposes water harvesting structures should be encouraged

The Stakeholders Meeting generated deep interest and led to the initiation of more projects that involve as many stakeholders as possible for implementation, campaigns, awareness generation, advocacy work, policy on hill waters and information dissemination through their local area networks.

Post workshop, Keystone attempts to facilitate water initiatives. Th wworkshop infact opened our eyes to the problems faced by local citizens and emboldened us to take appropiate action in cooperation with the stakeholders

Emerging Scenario : The Way Forward

In more ways than one, it opened our eyes to the change happening in water systems in the Nilgiris

Dream : The Vision of the future

Water in the Nilgiris is more than an economic good. It contributes to a rich ecology & wildlife, has significant cultural and social linkages. Today Nilgiris water are dwindling and are being polluted at an alarming rate. Safe drinking water should be made available to all - especially downstream villages - who are now dependent on upstream sources. Water harvesting to be developed in more innovative lines. Enterprise approach to water products & value addition - high altitude stream fishing, mineral water units, labs for testing water, small hydros / hydrams for tapping energy. A whole gamut of activities need to be started with water - so as to bring it back on the main stage. Today - the reaction of less water is knee-jerk - people are dependent on the Government to provide water, shortages are common in summer, pollution is rampant. The challenge would be to ensure year round quality water and initiate sustainable land use and water uses which do not adversely change the quality of water. If this has to be achieved through peoples' groups, movements and practice - a whole new effort and coordination needs to be done. The Nilgiri Waters should be revived for the sustenance of living beings for a better quality of life.

It can be concluded from this one year study that in the Nilgiris Water Resources context - the role of springs is very crucial. Springs and Sholas do not necessarily have a symbiotic relationship. In other words, the occurrence of a spring does not mean it flows out of a Shola, or otherwise - the shola always does not support a spring. Sholas are good protectors of the entire biota, with swamps, grasslands - the springs remain protected. Even in tea areas - the project has identified several springs which are being tapped by a large population. There is an urgent need to understand Spring Habitat & Ecology and introduce practices to rejuvenate them.

Community Based Water Management Systems

There is a break down of sharing systems within and between communities to a large extent. Water finding, water sharing is an individual activity. As the total domestic water sources are dwindling - there is an urgent need for developing community based water management systems. In earlier times, this has existed and worked very effectively, but now with most of the system being piped and the dependence high on TWAD - the community participation has reduced significantly.

Pollution

Drinking water quality is a serious issue. Coliform contamination due to human wastes is a common problem. This has resulted in water borne diseases. 80 drinking water samples were collected and tested for different parameters. 51 cases have reported coliform pollution. Most of the pesticide sprayed (for example - in the Ooty valley - for a single garlic crop - 19 sprays are applied) goes into water bodies and flows downstream - where they serve as drinking water sources for villages. (Refer appendix for potability data)

Thematic Groups

GROUP 1

Theme : WATER CONSERVATION - MEASURES & STRATEGIES

Importance of source of water - Shola, swamps, springs, stream, etc.,

GROUP 2

Theme : WATER DISTRIBUTION & MANAGEMENT

Access

Control

Equity

Service & Supply

GROUP 3

Theme : COMMUNITY BASED WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Need

Issues

Possibility of Revival

Innovative Mechanisms & new arrangements

GROUP 4

Theme : WATER QUALITY & SUSTAINABILITY IN THE NILGIRIS

Pollution

Carrying Capacity

Future Scenario

 Water Issues :

Besides crop change over, regular harvest/logging increases soil erosion, large scale destruction of forests and marshes in the middle and lower zones for tea and vegetables respectively, also seems to have reduced rainfall dramatically in the district. (Reference: Project Appraisal Report of the Kundah & Lower Bhavani River Valley Project, 96-97 by Agricultural Engineering Department, Chennai). The change in land use from rain-fed agricultural crops to plantation crops requiring irrigation has also increased demand for irrigation, placing a widespread pressure on natural water sources. This change has caused severe erosion in the region, also affecting the low lying lands of indigenous communities.

Water Pollution :

The increase in tea cultivation and commercial vegetable growing has also led to the increase in the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and weedicides. Some of these harmful chemicals have negatively affected the soil and water regime, percolating into the water sources. The water when used by indigenous communities for drinking purposes, has increased skin and water borne diseases.

Water Use and Management :

There are a number of users of water in the Nilgiris. The Electricity Board, Plantation sector, Tourism industry, Agriculture & Horticulture sector are the main users. With a number of dams, weirs and tunnels - water is a managed resource in the hills. However, there are few points of water access for villages and especially indigenous communities. People have to resort to dug wells and springs for water. The water from the dams, both Pykara and Bhavani feed into the Metur Reservoir and is distributed in the Cauvery River Basin for irrigation. This has raised questions for local farmers and communities - as to why they do not have access to water from the district. eg. The village of Kallampalayam is located on the banks of the River Moyar, but does not have access to water for irrigation. Local measures need to be taken, to resolve this conflict.

Changing Culture of Water Use & Tradition: Nilgiris is a land of a myriad number of tribal groups and local ethnic communities. Some of them, like the Badagas, have a cohesive village governance and resource sharing system. Communities like the pastoral Todas, had traditional pasturages, based on the availability of water. Other hunter gatherer communities that were forest dwellers, moved their villages due to the invasion of wild animals. New sites were chosen depending on the water availability. Dug wells (Baavi) and protected springs (jo: ni), were treated with care and kept clean.

However, now these traditions are fast disappearing. People who could earlier manage their resource now look for government schemes and doled out benefits. There is also a change in their outlook from what was considered their own resource to that which belongs to the Government. There are no institutional systems in place to look after these government schemes, which sometimes lie in disuse or create conflict within the village.

Water Traditions

 The Nilgiris water, feeds into the reservoirs/basins of three southern states. Most of the villages have tapped a spring - based system. Out of the 35 water sources surveyed - 60% were from springs. There are differential uses for diverse water sources. Shola springs for drinking water purposes and lower down valley sources for agriculture.

Village Semmanarai

 A fairly large village in Kotagiri taluk with 107 Irula and 8 Kurumba families live scattered in the valley. The village is located on a slope through which no perennial steam flows. There are few folds/ gullys and a thin marsh on the slopes where few dug wells are made by the villagers to collect drinking water. These water holes' have supplies during rainy seasons but many will dry out during summer. Because of either no proper protection or construction, the waters get polluted by falling materials from the ground surface.

 Source No 1 : Konja bavi

It is a spring located in Raju's land, which serves as domestic water supply for seven families. The field study result indicates presence of coli form in the water. To prevent it, source protection was necessary. Hence this sources was cleaned first and built with cut stone as a circular well. A protection wall was raised with cement mortar, two feet from the ground level. A HDPE hose line was fixed to drain water from the well so that pollution through the vessel or even by drawing is also avoided.

Source No 2 : Nellimodakku

This is a tank for which the water is tapped from a stream located on revenue parambokku about 600 meters away from the village. A 300-meter HDP hose was provided as project assistance while for the remaining distance, old pipes from the village itself, were used. This tank was unused till date. A tap and three distributing lines have been provided. Also drains have been put around the tank to avoid unnecessary collection of water.

 Source No 3 : Nadur

It is located in a swamp. Labour support was provided to deepen it and the construction with stones.

 Source No 4 : Nadur tank

Repairing and provided with fittings to the water system. So the distribution was good and the wastage was reduced.

 Village Vagapanai

 There are 43 Irula families and 3 Kurumba families in this settlement. The houses are located in two clusters. Both the clusters have separate water sources. There is another spring which flows through during the rainy season and is mainly used for cattle and washing. Project assistance was provided for the two main drinking sources only.

 Source no:1

It is a dug well about 15 feet deep and 8 feet in diameter, built with stones and a protection wall around it. Few years back, during summer, when the water table was low, a herd of elephants came into the village knocked down the protection wall and damaged the well heavily. Since then the water become non potable. The well was cleaned and repaired.

Source no:2

It is a spring, located in the middle of coffee plants. It serves the lower settlement. With no protection around, it used to silt during rainy season and got polluted with grazing cattle and their droppings.

 Vellaricombai

 It is a Kurumba settlement located on the Kallar slopes. There are 14 families who live here and are mainly dependent on two water sources. The first and traditional source is a protected spring which was damaged by elephants some years ago. The second is a tapping of a stream on top of the mountain ridge about 1800 meters away from the village.

Project assistance: The project assisted to clean up the damaged source.

  Village Bangalapadugai

 It is an Irula tribal village located in a valley. There is a panchayat water system installed in a spring which used to dry up during summer. The village has a traditional drinking water source next to a temple from where it is carried in vessels. A perennial stream flow adjacent to the village was selected to tap water for domestic and excess flow could be used for agriculture purposes. Since the stream is at a higher elevation, water was brought down through gravity flow and a storage system made.