Introduction
There is a lack of data on the number and locations of springs in the country as a whole. The Nilgiris is no exception to this. While local inhabitants can possibly reel off names of springs close to them, no one person/institution has data on the locations of all the springs in the region. We believe that knowing where our springs are is just a first step to understanding them and conserving them. After all they are our lifelines!
We present here a few maps based on primary data our volunteers have collected over the last three years. The data is dense in and around locations where Keystone works.The data has been collected in the field by crowdsourcing details of each spring from communities and panchayats. The data is presented in good faith and we seek your help in validating the same.
Our hope is that we will be able to mobilise others in the region to collect data on the missing springs. This ‘spring atlas’ is dedicated to the rich culture and tradition of the Nilgiris with regard to water resources.
Who is the atlas for?
This atlas can be used by anyone who wants to know more about springs in the Nilgiris and/or work towards their conservation. It could be an interested citizen or groups of citizens, NGOs, panchayat staff or leaders, line departments, researchers etc. The atlas can help anyone appreciate the richness of water resources that exist in the Nilgiris and that require our care to sustain in the future.
How to use the Atlas?
Please open the maps in a new window to interact with the map elements with ease. In order to see the names of each of the springs and to look at the data pertaining to each spring, you can click on the icon at the top left of each map. This opens a menu on the left hand side with the details. At the bottom of this menu you also have the option of changing the background image to sattelite image from Google instead of the default layer. You can find detailed help for using the atlas here.
If you notice any inaccuracies in the maps or other data, please leave a comment or email to bala at keystone-foundation dot org. This page is in beta and will undergo a few changes over the next few days.
Map 1: Springs categorised by District
Map 2: Springs categorised by Taluk
Map 3: Springs categorised by Panchayat
Map 4: Springs categorised by seasonality of flow
Map 5: Springs categorised by usage for drinking
Map 6: Springs categorised by domestic use
Map 7: Springs categorised by agriculture use
Map 8: Springs categorised by livestock use
Map 9: Springs categorised by wildlife use
More maps coming soon…
