NAGAPATTINAM: Nearly100 palm trees have been felled to stop erosion and plug breaches in the banks of the Kollidam river damaged by floods. Hamlets and villages on the banks of the river were flooded as water entered areas after breaching the banks near Alakkudi over the past two weeks.
The water stagnated for over a week before receding slowly. However, it has been found close to 100 trees in Palayapalayam village along the banks of the Puthumanniyaru river in Sirkazhi taluk have been felled. The trees reportedly belong to the PWD, which allegedly made it easier to uproot them.
The district administration already held stocks of nearly 10,000 pine logs and sticks earlier this month to counter the flood situation. Many were reportedly swept away as officials kept plugging breaches. With supplies exhausted and the delay in the arrival of rocky materials from other places, officials resorted to felling the palm trees.
Palm trees are an endangered species in Tamil Nadu. Studies show that it can extensively recharge groundwater. Unlike most other trees which spread their roots in different directions, palm trees have unidirectional roots. The trees serve as syringes injecting rainwater hundreds of feet below the surface.