THE OVERHEAD TANK

Hey Hi! am a Shola tree. In groups, we form the Shola forest Solaivanam in Tamil). We are a native species of the Nilgiris. Did you know, we Sholas act as overhead water tanks’ and form the main source of water for South India? Wonder how? Let me tell you.

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We, the Shola forest, have a higher water retention capacity than any other soil. Hence, we retain water from the monsoon. And then we slowly release the retained water in the year's course. This forms beautiful small streams. These streams are the source of water in rivers like the Cauvery, Thamirabarani and Vaigai. Thus, we act as an 'overhead water tank'-interesting right?

Let me tell you one more thing that is special about us. In general, mountains are covered in grasslands and trees never grow on mountain tops. But we Sholas grow at an altitude above 2,000 metres above sea level, making us unique. But sadly, due to the introduction of alien plant species and annual fire occurrences now, we have begun to shrink.