Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) carried out its monthly Cleaning Day simultaneously across all 75 wards on Saturday, 1 August, alongside a waste awareness rally aimed at encouraging residents to help prevent waterlogging and environmental pollution.
DSCC Administrator and Bir Muktijoddha Md Abdus Salam inaugurated the rally at Shahbagh and launched the day’s cleaning activities as part of the corporation’s efforts to increase public awareness and participation in waste management and dengue prevention, DSCC said in a press release.
Addressing the programme as chief guest, Abdus Salam said Dhaka could not be transformed into a clean and green city without greater public awareness and community-led initiatives.
A significant portion of the city’s waterlogging, waste-management and environmental-pollution problems could be controlled if residents fulfilled their individual responsibilities, he said.
Behavioural changes among citizens would also be necessary to remove Dhaka from the list of the world’s most polluted cities, according to the administrator.
“If we are not aware ourselves, there is no way we can protect Dhaka,” he said.
Abdus Salam said DSCC had resumed installing dustbins following a directive from the Prime Minister, despite bins placed in different areas having been stolen in the past.
Residents therefore had no justification for dumping waste indiscriminately, he said, urging business owners to install bins in front of their establishments.
Citizens should not hold the city corporation solely responsible for waterlogging, as even a single polythene bag or mattress could block a drain inlet and cause flooding across an entire neighbourhood, he said.
The administrator urged residents not to throw any form of waste into drains.
DSCC has introduced a special crash programme on the first Saturday of every month across its 75 wards to strengthen mosquito control and waste management, Abdus Salam said.
In addition to regular cleaning operations, the programme will target unclean areas and blocked drains. He called on social, voluntary and political organisations to participate in the initiative.
“If I change, Dhaka will change,” he said.
Abdus Salam also stressed the need for extensive tree planting alongside efforts to keep the city clean, saying there was no alternative to planting trees to reduce carbon dioxide and meet oxygen demand.
He praised Bidyanondo Foundation’s volunteers and said the country and society would benefit if the number of such humanitarian and dedicated people increased.
The administrator also called for coordinated action by residents, the media and social organisations to create a clean and liveable Dhaka.
An awareness rally was brought out after the speeches and travelled through major roads and important areas of the capital.
Participants distributed leaflets explaining the causes of waterlogging, proper waste-management practices and the harmful effects of plastic pollution.
DSCC Chief Executive Officer Md Khoybor Rahman attended the programme as a special guest.
Bidyanondo Foundation Executive Director Md Jamal Uddin also attended, alongside members of social organisations, environmental activists, students, volunteers, DSCC officials and employees, and media representatives.
