Date Palms Bring New Beauty to Rangamati Road, but Saplings Need Water to Survive

Date palms planted on the road dividers along the Raozan section of the Chittagong-Rangamati highway are spreading their fronds and adding beauty to the road. Locals say the saplings can survive if they are watered regularly. Young volunteers from an organisation called ‘Manush Je’ have been cleaning and caring for the trees on their own initiative.

On September 19, a group of volunteers from the organisation was seen cleaning the saplings near the Jalil Nagar bus stand. Regular cleaning and care of the saplings along the highway, from Munshighata to the Raozan Model Mosque, have significantly improved the appearance of the road. The young volunteers have been tending to the trees at regular intervals, helping many of them recover after they had nearly died.

Shayer Masum Ur Rashid Qaderi, a teacher at Garjania Rahmania Fazil Madrasa and the newly elected secretary of the institution’s former students’ association, said date palms are highly useful. Their leaves can be used to make durable mats, hand fans, baskets, sieves and various decorative handicrafts. In rural areas, poor and marginalised people also use dried date-palm leaves and branches to cover roofs and build fences.

He added that some parts of the Holy Quran were first written on date-palm leaves. He also said that placing a branch over a grave after someone’s death is a Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Therefore, those who care for these important date-palm saplings will also earn religious rewards, he said.

According to sources, 600 date palms of a foreign variety were planted on the road dividers along the Raozan section of the newly constructed four-lane Chittagong-Rangamati highway in April 2022. In the first phase, the saplings were planted along an approximately two-kilometre stretch from Munshighata to Charabot-tala in the municipal area. More than 100 additional date palms were planted in the West Gahira area in 2024.

Initially, the Raozan municipality maintained the trees by providing water and fertiliser and carrying out regular care. However, these activities came to a complete halt after August 5. Many trees dried up and died in October and November 2024 because of a lack of water.

At present, the trees face serious challenges because the road dividers have only 20 inches of soil, with a concrete layer underneath. As a result, the roots cannot reach deeper, moisture-rich soil. The lack of rainfall this season has put the trees at further risk. However, providing water through alternative methods could help them recover.

Locals said residents had been excited about planting date palms on the road dividers, similar to those seen in Arab countries. Some trees have already begun producing small amounts of fruit. They believe the palms should be preserved as a national asset.

Nurul Islam Nahid, president of the ‘Manush Je’ organisation, said, “The young members of our organisation have cleaned the date palms many times on their own initiative. For the past two years, we have been trying to save the trees with great care. The trees not only enhance the beauty of the road but also help protect the environment. Insha’Allah, our organisation will continue to maintain these date palms in the future.”