Tamil Nadu: Exotic trees are more prone to falling in the Nilgiris

COIMBATORE: Collapsing of trees continues despite the removal of vegetation identified as weak and dangerous for public safety is carried out as a constant exercise in the Nilgiris.

“It’s a continuous process and cannot be done at one go. As and when we get to know of the dangerous trees, they are axed. Sometimes, even those trees that remain healthy and do not pose a risk also collapse during rain and heavy winds. A majority of trees fallen so far are eucalyptus and pine trees, which do not have strong roots,” said HR Koushik, Additional Collector, the Nilgiris.

Besides causing damage to public property, the tree falls also claimed the life of a fifteen-year-old Adhi Dev from Kozhikode in Kerala, who came on a trip with his family to Ooty.

He was taking photos near the eighth mile in the Pine Forest area on the Ooty-Gudalur National Highway with his family when a branch of a tree fell on him.

However, Additional Collector HR Koushik clarified that the death of the boy happened at a cordoned spot, when he trespassed through a barricade. Meanwhile, there has also been a persistent demand from people for opening fire stations at Kundha and Pandalur taluks in the Nilgiris to bring down the response time in case of tree falls.

It takes an hour to reach Pandalur from the nearest fire station in Gudalur during emergencies. Similarly, it takes more than half an hour to reach Kundha from the nearest Coonoor station. The time taken to reach may stretch longer during peak hours and rainy days.

“As both the taluk’s witness frequent incidents of tree falls and natural disasters like landslides, it becomes a necessity to permanently station rescue teams in these areas to reduce the response time. It’s one among the long-standing demands of our department,” said an official of the fire service department.