A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Madras High Court bench here seeking removal of all 'Karuvelam' trees (prosopis jliflora) in the Vaigai river bed and water bodies throughout Tamil Nadu on the ground they were harmful to environment.
Chief Justice Rajesh Kumar Agrawal and Justice M Jeychandran ordered notice to Tamil Nadu officials, including Secretary to the Environment and Forest department.
Petitioner C Anandraj, a social worker, submitted Karuvelam trees, also known as black babool trees, were introduced in India in 1960 from South Africa.
But now it had been found that they were harmful to the environment and ecological system. Experts say the tree absorbed oxygen and let out carbon-di-oxide and it increased the heat in the atmosphere.
It also brought down the rainfall and destroyed the water source and did not allow others trees to grow.
In and around Madurai, there were around 10,000 karuvelam trees which had been found to be responsible for water scarcity in the city and depletion of ground water level, he contended seeking their removal.
