DT Next Impact: Palm trees replace conocarpus on Neelankarai beach
On September 7, DT Next published a story on conocarpus plants that were planted by the Corporation on the beach.
Palm saplings on the beach
CHENNAI: Visitors to Neelankarai beach may breathe easy as the forest department has removed the invasive conocarpus trees, which are alien to the State, and planted palm trees in their place. Pollen from conocarpus trees is hazardous to the human respiratory system.
VA Saravanan, city district forest officer, said that around 200 palm trees were planted on the beach after removing the alien species one month ago.
“We’ve also removed conocarpus plants from road central medians. We’ll remove conocarpus from across the city,” he added.
On September 7, DT Next published a story on conocarpus plants that were planted by the Corporation on the beach. It pollinates twice a year and is injurious to human health, said health workers, who confirmed that the pollen grains can lead to a rise in cough, cold, asthma and other respiratory disorders.
While Tamil Nadu is yet to officially ban the plant, Gujarat, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have banned the plant in forest, non-forest areas and nurseries. The State Forest Department has only identified 196 invasive alien species in ‘TN Policy on Invasive Alien Plant Species and Ecological Restoration of Habitats’, which does not include conocarpus.
Local bodies prefer the alien plant species due to their fast growth rate and low maintenance in public places. Also, conocarpus is a water-guzzler and causes depletion of groundwater.