Residents of Puluvapalayam village have urged the district administration to uproot the ‘Seemai Karuvelam’ (Prospis Juliflora) trees near the lake, as they have become a threat to ecology.

Claiming that the ground water was sucked by the ‘Seemai Karuvelam’ trees, the residents have petitioned the District Administration to clear the trees.

In their petition, the villagers said the drought situation was getting worse day by day. “Our only source of water in the village is the lake. But the lake area is full of Seemai Karuvelam trees,” said a villager.

Even during the rainy seasons ground water level never improves due to the presence of these trees, they said.

“Agriculture and other farm activities have been very badly affected. Farmers have incurred heavy loss because of acute water scarcity,” said another resident.

The petitioners also claimed that around 5000 coconut trees were affected due to water scarcity.

“We request the administration to remove these Seemai Karuvelam trees and desilt the lake to safeguard our ground water,” another petitioner said.

It may be noted that the District Administration had recently ordered the removal of Seemai Karuvelam trees from patta lands within 15 days.