At times of heavy downpours of southwest monsoon received every year it is a common experience that the sea surges into

the shores especially towards the southern parts of the state causing severe damage to the dwellings of the fishermen and eroding extensive areas of sand. This year even at the commencement of the monsoon the attack is very severe in places like Valiathura. Even the stone walls erected on the coastline are not at all effective in preventing the violent attack of the waves and the coconut trees on the areas are not at all having any role in this respect, instead usually they are early uprooted by the advancing waves. The coconut trees normally lack resistance against natural calamities like drought, floods, sea erosion as well as attacks of pests and diseases. That is the very reason why coconut trees pose severe health hazards now a days facing casualties as well due to leaf yellowing.

 It was the very same case noticed at the time of the Tsunami attack during 2004. While the western Coastal areas experienced very serious damages to the coastal areas resulting in casualties and severe damages to the dwellings the eastern areas with trees growing there such as Casuarina were comparatively safe. Areas with mangrove forests on the coastal lines were comparatively safe from the damages. It was interesting to learn that Andaman Nicobar islands with plenty of different extensively grown tree species were practically undamaged and the inhabitants were also safe from the severe damages caused by the tsunami under the protection of the trees.

 What is the reason for this difference ? While costal areas without any trees or with coconut trees are highly prone to the attack of the trecherous sea waves at monsoon rainy season or Tsunami waves, areas with well grown dichotomous trees with strong stems and thick canopies are well capable of successfully resisting the ravages of the sea waves, a wonderful achievement indeed. Let us examine why this happens so. In Coastal areas where no tree growth is there the waves are free to advance towards the shore and to erode the loose soil to any extent. There is no force to prevent the erosion. In the case of coconut trees since it is a monocot the tree has got a single conopy with only one terminal bud and the venation is parallel and the roots are rather unbranched or very poorly branched whereby the total root system is not at all capable of holding the soil at the base firmly. It can never form an effective network of roots to hold the soil firmly intact at all. That is the very reason why the land on sea costs with coconut trees gets easily croded in contrast to areas with dichotomous trees.

 As against this let us see what happens in the case of dicots. Here the tree shape itself is entirely different. The stem though cylindrical the basal position is thicker with buttressed roots in many having a broad based pyramidal shape in comparison to the cylindrical shape of the coconut tree. The strong and deep tap roof broad based above and tapering below provides a strong anchorage to the tree with the extensive network formed by the branches and branchlets. The dicot tree shape is comparable to Eiphel tower while the monocot coconut tree shape is comparable to Pissa tower. Definitely the former is stronger with broader base and hence stronger foundation than the latter.

 The strong tap root combined with the laterals and their innumerable side branches combined together form a close network all around the base of the tree spread out in extensive areas thereby providing a very firm strong hold over the soil there which in no way will yield to the waves of the sea water however strong they may be. So the expanded broad base combined with the firm and the strong closely interwoven network of roots below function as a strong fortress against the waves of sea water. The dicot trees planted in 3 or more alternative rows along the sea shore will provide a strong defense against the strong waves whereby the wave gets split up and passes through the clefts between the trees whereby they lose their strength and passes with reduced force towards the shore.

This was significantly different from the retaining walls constructed on shores or buildings on coastal zones which offer a continuous surface for the heavy attack of the tsunami waves. The attack being heavy and the foundation being weak they can but subside whereas the strong tsunami waves attacking the tree wall they get cut into pieces in between the gaps of the trees and loose force and the waves gradually move away through the gaps in between the trees of the subsequent rows. In this regard the superiorly of rubber trees over other species of hard wood trees like jack tree, teak Mahogony is very evident because its natural habitat is the Amazon river basin and it prefers nearness to water bodies on the banks of rivers.

 On the banks of Amazon and its tributaries the rubber trees are seen to remain in deep water for months together. Another most important proof is that the seeds of the rubber tree are adapted for water dispersal as they will float on water surface until they land on shores where they germinate and grow further. Hence a most important procedure to be adopted in the case of prevention of sea erosion during monsoon downpours and also during tsunami calamities if any in future is to protect our coastal lives using green geofortresses with rubber trees the modern Kalpa Vriksha of India.

Apart from the other well known attributes of the tree to the country in a good number of ways such as income generation to the grower and the labourer, its efficacy in eliminating the ill effects of global warming by aforestation and so on providing a strong and effective defence to the coastal zone against sea erosion during monsoon and even at tsunami attack is a really wonderful and exquisite achievement indeed. Thereby proving that rubber tree can act as a green geofortress also ! The trees being planted should be only seedlings raised from seeds and not buddings to ensure the desired tree shape suitable for the purpose.

TSUNAMI WAVES

DICOTS ON THE SHORE