Why did the government banned planting Eucalyptus trees in Karnataka?
Answers
State government’s ban on planting of eucalyptus, acacia trees couldn’t have come too soon; the trees have caused a severe dip in water table and rainfall in 3 districts
What was adopted as a World Bank-aided project to supply firewood and timber to feed the rapidly unfolding urbanisation back in the 1980s has converted the districts of Bengaluru Rural, Kolar and Chikkaballapur into barren lands today.
Largescale planting of eucalyptus and acacia trees under the Social Forestry scheme to meet the firewood and timber demand not only squeezed the districts of its rich underground water table, but also made annual rainfall in the region a mirage of its former self. Even though the state government had directed the Karnataka Forest Department (KFD) not to create Eucalyptus plantations back in 2011 saying it would have a serious impact on the ground water levels, there was no proper documentation on the damage caused to the ecosystem. However, with pressure being mounted on the government to extend the ban on farmers and the general public from planting these species, the KFD has notified shocking revelations on how these species made these three major districts barren.