Waterlogging destroys nearly 60-year-old litchi orchard in Bangladesh

Prolonged waterlogging has killed 137 of 139 mother litchi trees at a nearly 60-year-old government orchard in Jamalpur, threatening production of improved fruit saplings, officials said.

About 10 acres of the Department of Agricultural Extension’s 25-acre horticulture center have remained under knee-deep water for more than three years because of inadequate drainage.

“These trees were the primary source of scions used to produce quality saplings, generating hundreds of thousands of taka, or approximately several thousand U.S. dollars, in annual government revenue,” deputy director Mohammad Shakhawat Ikram said.

Water also damaged mango and dragon fruit orchards, newly produced saplings and residential quarters.

Municipal executive engineer Md Jahurul Haque said construction began last month on a drain connecting the area to the Brahmaputra River. Officials have proposed three additional drains, pending funding.