DINDIGUL: On a sultry evening, when the dry air from the ground lifts upwards, caressing the thick copses of eucalyptus and wattle trees on the slopes of Kodaikanal hills, the rustling is almost eerie. For any romantic, the sight of the tall trees gently swaying to the force of wind might seem like an extract out of Robert Frost’s poem. However, behind this veneer of beauty lurks the grim reality of an impending water disaster, triggered by these celebrated foreign species.
Introduced to Kodaikanal by British planters over 70 years ago, the eucalyptus and wattle were seen as a means to fuel the growth of the flourishing paper industry and tanneries of the Colonialists. Over time, these species conquered newer territories, always at the expense of indigenous varieties. The extent of damage is such that the grasslands on the hills are quickly disappearing and the groundwater table falling further down each passing day.
Activists have been clamouring for government intervention to stem the rot before it’s too late. The introduction of the foreign species sounded the death knell for indigenous vegetation, says a senior forest officer. Apart from being groundwater guzzlers, the eucalyptus and wattle are invasive, not allowing other plants to flourish and even weeding out the grasslands, robbing herbivores of their feed. “It will be next to impossible to fell all the trees at one go. These two species do not allow indigenous varieties to grow and they guzzle up water. The exact extent of damage can be assessed only after a study is commissioned,” he adds.
The thick copses of wattle and eucalyptus are a big draw for the tourists, who make a beeline for the cooler climes of the hill town. At a time when the government is pouring in funds to better the facilities on offer for tourists, lost in the hunt for higher number of footfalls is the need to preserve the indigenous ecology, activists say.
V S Veerapathiran, director of Eco-Friendly Environment Conservation Trust, recalls when the hill was a perfect host to several varieties of grasses, including Indian Rise Grass, Lemon Grass, Blue Wild Rye, June Grass, Mountain Muhly, Western Wheat Grass and Mountain Brone. Shifting to the present, he says the grassland cover has dwindled, with a concomitant rise in wattle and eucalyptus population.
Urging the State government to take steps to save the existing grasslands, he says the green cover provides sustenance to many wild animals, including elephants and deer. To him, the invasion by foreign species is the reason behind man-animal conflict. When the fodder in the ranges and hills dwindles, animals swoop down on human settlements, he asserts.
With the grassland cover slowly receding, Minoo Avari, president to United Citizen Council of Kodaikanal, feels that it may lead to lesser footfalls and water scarcity. Calling upon the authorities concerned to weed out the foreign species, Avari says losing green cover would reduce the beauty of the hill station.
Speaking to Express, Sridhar, chairman of Kodaikanal Municipality, says the grasslands have not been obliterated, but concedes that there has been a fall as against previous years. While some experts’ opinion was sought, no headway was made in the way forward for conserving indigenous varieties, while containing the foreign species. A forest official says the grasslands are not lost. “If the foreign species are kept in check, the grass cover would return.”