DHARMAPURI: Residents and farmers in Dharmapuri district are pressing for the urgent clean-up and desiltation of all 74 lakes under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department (PWD). They demanded a district-wide lake restoration programme to clear weeds, remove invasive scrub and revive traditional water bodies.
They claimed the dense growth of Prosopis juliflora (seemai karuvelam) trees are choking channels, reducing water storage, and undermining irrigation and drinking water prospects.
Farmers alleged the water storage capacity of the lakes have severely reduced due to the growth of the invasive species and demanded the PWD-Water Resources Department to clear the seemai karuvelam trees.
Poor maintenance, encroachments, and overgrowth in lake beds and feeder canals have left most reservoirs dry even after good rainfall, threatening water security and livelihoods, farmers stated.
Farmers in Dharmapuri district rely on the seasonal rainfalls to pursue active cultivation. The water from the Southwest monsoon and the Northeast monsoon is primarily stored in the 74 major lakes located across the district. This water is the primary water source for agriculture and animal husbandry. But poor maintenance has led to most of these lakes being overgrown with seemai karuvelam.
Speaking to TNIE, J Prathapan, District Secretary of the UCPI, pointed to the plight of Lalligam Lake which covers about 125 acres.
"It is completely dry and filled with seemai karuvalem. It is not that there was no rain or the lake lacks the capacity to store water. The seemai karuvelam trees are draining the water. The state government must implement a comprehensive plan to rid our lakes of these invasive plants. In districts like Dharmapuri, where rainfall has been failing over the years, we need to take immediate action and permanently clear invasive plants from the lakes."
Another farmer, S Arunkumar from Annasagaram, said, "The over 300-acre Annasagaram Lake in our area is overgrown with seemai karuvelam. The entire lake's ecosystem has collapsed due to the overgrowth of the invasive species. The entire lake resembles a desert, and residents also believe that the groundwater is being impacted by the plants."
As per data from the administration, of the 74 lakes in the district, merely 21 lakes have some water storage, and the remaining have very poor water reserves and 30 lakes have no water.
Farmers claimed, "these 30 dry lakes are completely dry and overgrown with seemai karuvelam."
When TNIE reached out to officials in the PWD (WRD) they said, "They had begun a clean-up in the Krishnapuram Lake, and subsequently, there are plans to eradicate seemai karuvelam. But it would take time. These invasive trees are extremely difficult to eradicate, and we need to be thorough in eliminating them."