🌵 Mullu Maram / Velikattan – A Growing Ecological Menace
Scientific Name: Prosopis juliflora
Family: Fabaceae (Legume family)
Why Prosopis juliflora Is a Threat in 2025
With climate change accelerating desertification, Prosopis is spreading at an alarming rate across drylands in India, Africa, and parts of Australia, often overtaking native biodiversity and draining critical resources.
🔻 Environmental Impacts:
Groundwater depletion: Its taproots can reach depths over 100 feet, significantly lowering water tables and drying up lakes and ponds.
Soil degradation: The tree acidifies and toxifies the surrounding soil, making it inhospitable for native species and agriculture.
Air moisture reduction: Large Prosopis plantations create "dry islands" by reducing ambient humidity, intensifying local heat and aridity.
Loss of biodiversity: It outcompetes native grasses and shrubs, affecting foraging areas for wild herbivores and pastoral livestock.
Erosion: By replacing grasses with deep-rooted trees, the natural erosion-preventing ground cover vanishes.
🐄 Livestock & Human Health Risks
Cattle poisoning: Continuous ingestion of seed pods can cause fatal digestive blockages and impair cellulose digestion.
Pigs: Initial weight gain followed by digestive failure due to trypsin inhibitors and phytohemagglutinins.
Allergy trigger: Its pollen is a major allergen, causing:
Allergic rhinitis
Bronchial asthma
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Dermatitis: Handling seasoned wood or using it as fuel has caused contact dermatitis in many communities.
⚠️ Socio-Environmental Consequences
In Ethiopia, pastoralists call it the "Devil Tree."
In Tamil Nadu, it's known as "Seemai Karuvelam (சீமைக்கருவேலை)" — seen as a growing menace in dry belts.
In Kannada, it's "Ballari Jaali"; in Telugu, "Mulla Tumma (ముల్ల తుమ్మ)."
In Hindi-speaking regions, it's called Angrezi Babul or Kabuli Kikar, highlighting its foreign origins and perceived nuisance.
🧾 Historical Introduction in India
First introduced in 1877 with seeds from Jamaica in South India (Madras Presidency).
Promoted across Rajasthan in the 1930s via aerial seeding.
Declared a "Royal Tree" in 1940 for afforestation goals.
While it initially served as a fuel and shade tree, it now poses ecological and agricultural threats across arid and semi-arid regions.
🔥 Modern Use & Misuse
Though used as firewood and charcoal, it's a hazardous source due to the release of irritants and allergenic compounds.
Some communities still rely on it due to fuel scarcity, but awareness is growing about its long-term damage.
🌿 2025: Call for Action
Governments, local bodies, and environmentalists across Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra are actively working on:
Eradication drives using mechanical uprooting and chemical suppression.
Restoration projects planting native grasses and indigenous tree species.
Awareness campaigns on the health and environmental risks associated with Prosopis.
✅ Alternatives to Prosopis juliflora
Acacia nilotica (Indian Babul)
Albizia lebbeck (Sirisa Tree)
Bamboo
Neem (Azadirachta indica)
These species support local ecosystems, provide shade, and improve soil health—without the damaging invasiveness.
