The Villupuram district administration has intensified efforts for removal of seemai karuvelam trees (prosopis juliflora) — an exotic and invasive species — from waterbodies and government poromboke lands in Villupuram district, following the directions of the Madras High Court, to protect the environment and groundwater.

Having done the enumeration for this exercise, the Villupuram district administration has accorded priority for the removal of seemai karuvelam by focusing on their removal from waterbodies at first. The Water Resources Department and Panchayat Raj Department have commenced the exercise by steadlily removing the invasive species from their respective lands.

Villupuram Collector Sheik Abdul Rahman said the Water Resources Department had removed the species from 74 waterbodies so far while the work was under way to clear the plants in four waterbodies. Similarly, the Rural Development Department had commenced the exercise by removing the invasive species from their respective lands and waterbodies.

The Collector recently chaired a meeting with officials of all government departments in Villupuram in connection with the removal of seemai karuvelam trees from government and private lands in the district.