Lake saves tea plants in severe drought

Nizamuddin Lavlu, Ramgarh (Khagrachhari) :
Due to lack of rain, the tea industry is suffering the most in severe drought. Tea trees are dying due to drought. A lake or reservoir in the vast area of Ramgarh Tea Garden is saving the lives of the tea plants in such adverse weather conditions. Around 1400 acres of tea plantations are being protected from dying of drought by day and night round the clock water irrigation from the lake. Not only this, early tea leaf picking (collection) is also going on in the garden. Those concerned said that rain or drought cannot affect the production of the garden as there is an irrigation system from the reservoir by installing underground permanent pipe lines.
In the last 18 years, the production has increased from two lakh kg to nearly 10 lakh kg. They said that the main reason behind this increase in production is the large size lake and permanent irrigation system.
On Thursday Ramgarh Tea Garden was visited on the surface, the tea plants are green and fresh despite the severe drought and heat. New buds have sprouted on trees. Water is carried from one end of the garden to the other through an underground pipe line and sprayed with sprinklers. Irrigation is going on day and night all the time like this. The water of the large lake located in the center of the tea garden is being used for the irrigation of the entire garden. Those concerned said that the life of the garden is the irrigation system of the garden by installing a pump and generator with a capacity of 36 horses on the bank of the lake. Pipes imported from Thailand have been installed underground in each line of the garden to ensure irrigation facilities during the wet and dry seasons. With the help of modern machine sprinkler, water like rain is sprinkled in the garden through the permanent irrigation line. Md. Zainal Abedin, the senior manager of the garden, said that due to the permanent irrigation system, the production in this garden does not stop even in the absence of rain or drought. Like every year, this year too, advance leaf selection has already started. In 2004, when Pedrolo Limited Company took ownership of the wagon, the production volume was two lakh kg. Now the production is 10 lakh kg. The tea garden is also ranked as one of the best gardens in the country for quality and best liquor. He also said that due to the effect of global climate change, our country does not receive timely and adequate rainfall. As a result, we can no longer depend on nature for rain to save the tea garden trees.
Every garden should have the required number of lakes or reservoirs to cope with drought. There should be permanent irrigation system.