Forest officials stunned as water gushes from tree in southern India
by Komal KashyapIn a strange event, the forest department, aided by the Konda Reddi tribe, discovered reservoirs of water contained within trees in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh.
The incident took place in the Kintukuru Forest area in Papikonda National Park of the Alluri Sitharama Raju district on March 30.
Visuals showed the officer cutting the bark of an Indian Laurel tree and water gushing out of it.
According to reports, the Rampachodavaram divisional forest officer G G Narentheran stated that the Konda Reddi tribe provided valuable information to the department.
“During parched summers, the Indian laurel tree stores water that has a strong smell and tastes sour. It is an amazing adaptation observed in trees of the Indian forests,” he said.
“When the bark was cut open, water splashed out. The Konda Reddi tribe shared their indigenous knowledge about the tree with us,” the officer added.
The forest officials explained that at least 10 to 20 liters of water comes out from each Nallamadi tree.
Forest Officer G. Narendrian and Indukuru Range Officer Durga Kumar noticed water emanating from the Nallamaddi trees. Typically, the presence of water flowing from boreholes indicates a rise in groundwater levels.
The Konda Reddi tribe, recognized as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), lives in the Eastern Ghats, a mountain range running parallel to the east coast of India. They possess profound knowledge of their surroundings, having coexisted with the forests for many generations.
The Indian Laurel, also commonly referred to as the Indian Silver Oak, the Chinese banyan, or Malayan banyan, is a member of the fig family Moraceae and is predominantly distributed across Southeast Asia and Chinese territories. This tree species plays a crucial role in enhancing soil fertility, offering shade to crops, and serving as essential fodder for the Konda Reddi tribe, a vulnerable indigenous community residing in the Papikonda hill range within the Godavari region.
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