And this ecological crisis is very much intertwined with the water crisis today. Sprawled over with exotic and invasive species of trees and shrubs such as the eucalyptus, black wattle and lantana, the Nilgiris natural ecosystem is getting decimated. After independence, the government of India continued planting more Eucalyptus and wattle hoping to boost a paper industry. The attitude of misperceiving grasslands as degraded or wetlands as wastelands and the relentless quest to convert land for ‘productive use' found resonance even in the policies of the decolonized state. Tea and over time as their need for fuelwood grew, plantations of exotic trees took over the grasslands. The arrival of the British in the Nilgiris in 19th century transformed its native landscape. Much of the plantations and the exotic vegetation that we see in the region are a product of colonial encounters with these tropical ecosystems. The crisis is rooted in the colonial history of the region. The major water sources- the springs and small hill wetlands have been systematically neglected. Traditionally considered water rich, today this forest-grassland mosaic is in the throes of a deep water crisis. The Nilgiris is the source of two main river systems – the Bhavani and the Moyar, which comprise several streams emerging from high altitudes and flowing down to the Kaveri basin in Tamil Nadu. Owing to their distinct culture, small and declining population occupying a rugged and difficult terrain, the Toda, Kota, Kurumba, Irular and Paniyar have been classified as PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group).
The Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu are home to various indigenous people including the Kurumbas- Alu, Jenu, Mullu and Betta, Kasava, Irula, Toda, Kota, Kattunaika, Paniya, Badaga, Thoraiya Badaga and the Mountadden Chettis. The NBR is among the highest mountains in the Western Ghats mountain chain with its peaks and plateaus bordering the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. These Hills are part of the Nilgiri Bio-Reserve (NBR), a UNESCO World Heritage site, chosen as India’s first bio-reserve in 1986. Best known to the world outside, the Nilgiri hills are an iconic landscape harbouring a wide spectrum of ecosystems. This blue-purple bloom can be seen from miles away, rendering these hills with the name Nilgiris (Blue Mountains). Once in twelve years, the Neelakurinji flower blossoms in Southern India, covering hills in a bright purple haze. Today, with growing anthropogenic influences, there is a water crisis in the hills that needs our attention more than ever before. Locally called Neeru, water of the Nilgiris in its springs and wetlands has been the fountainhead for two main rivers systems of South India.