Unable to hold rainwater in the soil, betel palms cause the water table to fall. Worse, because betel-nut orchards lack the cover of multistoried forests, they increase evaporation by allowing the sun to shine directly on the forest floor. The irrigation required by the palms in their growth phase also uses up significant volumes of water directly.
無法留住雨水，也使地下水位持續下降；檳榔園又因缺乏「複層林」覆蓋，造成陽光直射林地，使蒸發量高，再加上生長期間的灌溉用水，使得耗水量可觀。