THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

Seemai Karuvelam Free Villages in Tamil Nadu - usthadian.com Seemai Karuvelam and its impact Seemai Karuvelam Free Villages in Tamil Nadu: Seemai Karuvelam or Prosopis juliflora is an invasive species that has spread rapidly across Tamil Nadu. It is known for its deep roots, which absorb large amounts of groundwater , leaving agricultural fields dry. Farmers have often raised concerns that this species damages local ecology and reduces soil fertility. Static GK fact: Prosopis juliflora was introduced to India during the colonial period for afforestation but later became invasive. Government action in villages The Tamil Nadu government informed the Madras High Court that 517 villages across 32 districts have been declared Seemai Karuvelam free. This step reflects a significant ecological restoration effort. By clearing the invasive trees, the state aims to improve groundwater conservation and revive local biodiversity. High Court directives The Madras High Court has taken a proactive stance on the matter. It directed the state to make at least one district completely Seemai Karuvelam free as a pilot project. Such initiatives will help policymakers evaluate the success of the model …

'Intensify drive against karuvelam in private sites' Madurai High Court Judge Selvam, along with three other judges, three district collectors and other officials flagged off theseemai karuvelamremoval drive at Vandiyur. Ramanathapuram Collector Nagarajan later handed over a cheque for Rs 3 lakh towards theseemai karuvelamfund to Justice Selvam. The team then inspected the work carried out by the JCB and inspected extent of the vegetation along the Vaigai bed. Justice Selvam instructed the officials expedite the work and remove the trees as early as possible. After the judges left, Rao told media persons that out of 3.75 lakh hectares in the district, 1.75 lakh hectares remain uncultivated and out of this land area,seemai karuvelamplants were spread over 50,000 hectares. A fund of Rs 2 lakh has been mobilised to removeseemai karuvelamand the removal drive on the Vaigai river bed was being carried out by the Public Works Department(PWD). Simultaneously, work was also being carried out in 1,500 tanks maintained by PWD and another 3,000 maintained by various unions. In Madurai district, over 80 percent ofSeemai Karuvelamtrees were on private lands. Notices to remove the killer g…

Madurai HC says students can join Seemai Karuvel removal drive The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has said college students and school NSS students can be involved in efforts to remove Seemai Karuvel (Prosopis juliflora) trees, if they volunteer. The direction came in a public interest petition filed by MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who alleged the invasive trees absorb groundwater and reduce oxygen and humidity, thereby increasing heat and harming agriculture and the environment. Earlier, on March 18, a division bench had ordered that the trees be uprooted and replaced with native species, and said volunteers and corporate entities could participate alongside the government. The court also directed that the removal work be completed before the next monsoon begins. The bench further reiterated that local bodies must remove the trees within their respective jurisdictions through their own administrations. The matter has been posted for further hearing on July 17.

Tamil Nadu plans statewide removal of Seemai Karuvelam CHENNAI: The water resources department (WRD) has drawn up a large-scale plan to eradicate prosopis juliflora (locally known as Seemai Karuvelam), an invasive alien species, from waterbodies across the state in a phased manner. This is the most recent of the state’s and judiciary’s long-standing efforts in eradicating the invasive species over the past decade. The state government has already sanctioned Rs 5.55 crore for the removal works, and operations in Vaigai River in Madurai are on. The department will carry out the removal works in Thamirabarani and Palar soon. According to official sources, the proposed operation cost for the first year has been estimated at Rs 1.81 crore. Officials said the project is expected to generate substantial revenue through scientific disposal and utilisation of the removed biomass. The cumulative net revenue at the end of the fifth year is projected at Rs 13.88 crore after adjusting annual operational expenses from the revenue generated. The revenue earned through the initiative will be deposited into the accounts of the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Conservation and River Restoration Corpor…

Madras HC declares war on karuvelam, two ex-judges to monitor drive CHENNAI: A special division bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered the state government to implement a project, ‘Sezhumai Karuvoolam’ (prosperous repository), for the eradication of the “obnoxious invasive species” of seemai karuvelam (Prosopis juliflora) from private and public lands across Tamil Nadu. Private landowners shall remove the species within 30 days from date of the order, failing which, block development officers or any such officials may be deputed to carry out the exercise, and the costs shall be recovered from the owners, the bench stated. “As per the Tamil Nadu Policy on Invasive Plants and Ecological Restoration, Prosopis juliflora in all its forms – whether trees, plants or roots – shall be mechanically uprooted, removed and disposed of from its location. Wherever possible, native species shall be planted, cared for and grown and the project shall be titled ‘Sezhumai Karuvoolam’,” the bench comprising Justices N Sathish Kumar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy said. The orders were passed on a batch of petitions, including one moved by MDMK general secretary Vaiko who had argued the cas…

Major drive under way to remove ‘seemai karuvelam’ in Pudukottai district The exercise is being undertaken involving various government departments to protect water table and environment; the invasive species uprooted from over 700 acres till now

Why TN government is uprooting thousands of trees to prevent water ... Recently, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court gave a rather strange order to the state government: that the government should work towards the complete eradication of a particular kind of tree, the Karuvelam tree. Why is the HC asking the government to destroy thousands of trees? The Karuvelam tree, or prosopis juliflora as its known biologically, is a species native to West Africa and was brought to Tamil Nadu in 1960s as fuelwood. Slowly, these seeds started drifting into dams and rivers, causing problems. Apparently, the plant is such that no other species can co-exist with it, and it has already caused drying up of several water bodies in the state, adding to the woes of the water-starved state. The Karuvelam species is a biological nightmare. According to a report by the Rathinam Saroja Trust, an NGO which works for environmental issues, Karuvelam tree absorbs more than four litres of water to obtain one kilogram of biomass. It cannot even shelter birds as it produces less oxygen and more carbon dioxide. If it does not have sufficient water it begins absorbing groundwater. And if there is no groun…

Come up with plan to eradicate 'karuvelam' trees, HC tells TN govt Chennai A full bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari, Justice N Sathish Kumar and Justice PD Audikesavalu granted the injunction on hearing a batch of writ petitions seeking direction for the removal of the Seemai Karuvelam trees and saplings in the State. “The State government should come up with a policy or a scheme to devise the mechanism to remove the Prosopis juliflora across the state. The court is suggesting the government make use of the MGNREGS funds to eradicate the Prosopis Juliflora trees. If the State has any other sources for funds, it also can be utilised,” the full bench held. Our State should be the first one in bringing the policy to eradicate the invasive species and it should guide other states in the country on this matter,” the ACJ orally observed. The court has come down heavily on the State for not taking any action to remove the karuvelam trees despite its order on July 28, 2017. “Though it is more than 4.5 years since the order was passed, there is no progress. After getting suggestions from the National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad as well as the National E…