More than 650 volunteers of voluntary organisation BD Clean joined a day-long campaign on Friday to clean up the Kulkurmai Canal in Rangunia, with Chattogram-7 MP Humam Quader Chowdhury calling cleanliness a prerequisite for transforming the upazila into a tourism destination.
Participating in the cleanup drive on Friday morning, Humam said Rangunia has considerable tourism potential because of its connectivity with Bandarban and Kaptai. But the potential cannot be fully utilised unless its canals, drains and surrounding areas are kept clean.
“There is no alternative to cleanliness if we want to develop Rangunia as a tourism-friendly area,” he said. “It is impossible to attract tourists if our canals remain polluted. Keeping the environment clean must therefore be the first step towards developing tourism.”
He also linked the cleanliness drive to the growing dengue threat across the country.
“The dengue situation has reached an alarming level. Dengue larvae breed in polluted and stagnant water,” he said. “If we want to protect people from this disease, we must keep our canals and drains clean.”
Humam praised the BD Clean volunteers for taking part in the campaign without seeking financial benefits or publicity.
“These young people are among the finest children of Bangladesh. They do not seek money or recognition. They voluntarily go from door to door to create awareness among people. Whenever they see a need for action, they come forward,” he said.
He said the initial plan was to involve around 400 to 500 volunteers in the Rangunia campaign. However, after observing the effectiveness and enthusiasm of BD Clean, the programme was expanded, eventually bringing more than 650 volunteers together for the cleanup.
Humam also stressed the importance of changing public behaviour alongside government or community initiatives. He said efforts had been made during the election period to provide free dustbins to unions and marketplaces, but many people continued to throw waste around the bins rather than using them properly.
“Providing dustbins alone will not solve the problem. People must develop the habit of using them and keeping their surroundings clean,” he said.
According to Humam, the Rangunia cleanup initiative was launched after his wife, Samanzar Khan, contacted BD Clean after seeing the organisation’s activities on social media.
Speaking about development initiatives in the upazila, he said the government had undertaken a canal dredging programme and that dredging work had already officially begun on two canals.
“We have already started dredging two canals officially, and the work is nearing completion,” he said.
He said improved connectivity between Rangunia, Bandarban and Kaptai could create new opportunities for tourism, but such opportunities would remain limited unless the environmental conditions were improved.
Jahirul Islam Rabi, a representative of BD Clean, said the organisation had been conducting cleanliness campaigns across Bangladesh since 2016.
“Currently, our teams are working in 57 districts and 165 upazilas across the country,” he said.
He said the Rangunia campaign was planned following communication with Samanzar Khan. A BD Clean team first visited the area to assess the condition of the canal before finalising the cleanup programme.
“Volunteers from six districts of the Chattogram Division have joined us today. We will continue the cleanup activities throughout the day,” Rabi said.
