Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday urged young people to play an active role in building a clean and healthy Bangladesh, saying efforts to protect the environment for future generations must start now.
“The work of building a beautiful, clean and healthy Bangladesh for future generations must begin now, as you will lead the country in the future,” he told students.
The Prime Minister made the call while visiting Mirpur Bangla College in the capital and addressing members of the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) and Scouts, said his Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu.
Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh is a densely populated country in terms of its size, particularly in Dhaka, where keeping the city clean is a major challenge. So, the task can be accomplished through collective efforts.
He urged the young people not to limit their involvement in cleanliness activities to organised campaigns but to take personal initiatives and encourage their friends, relatives and neighbours to keep their surrounding areas clean.
Emphasising the link between cleanliness and public health, the Prime Minister said an unhygienic environment increased the risk of diseases, while keeping homes and their surroundings clean helped people stay healthy.
He said preventing diseases should be a priority, as providing treatment to a large number of sick people would be difficult given the limited availability of doctors and medicines. “Keeping the environment clean is essential to keeping people healthy,” he said.
Highlighting the importance of cleanliness in preventing dengue, Tarique Rahman said many people were infected with the disease every year and many lost their lives.
Destroying mosquito breeding grounds and keeping homes and surrounding areas clean were among the most effective ways to prevent dengue, he added.
He said the government was placing special emphasis on cleanliness drives every Saturday until November as part of its dengue prevention efforts.
The Prime Minister urged people to keep the areas around their homes, educational institutions, workplaces and other establishments clean, particularly by ensuring that water did not accumulate anywhere.
He also called for an end to the indiscriminate disposal of waste on roads, in canals, rivers and other water bodies, saying such practices polluted the environment and created favourable conditions for mosquito breeding and the spread of diseases.
Addressing BNCC and Scouts members, he urged them to raise public awareness and encourage people to dispose of waste in designated places.
“If you see someone throwing rubbish on the road, try to explain the matter to them and, if necessary, help them dispose of it properly. Remember, you are working not just for yourselves but for the benefit of everyone,” he said.
Expressing concern over air pollution in Dhaka, the Prime Minister said the capital frequently ranked among the world’s most polluted cities, a situation he described as embarrassing. He stressed the need to protect the environment and plant more trees to improve air quality.
Recalling an earlier tree-planting initiative, Tarique Rahman said around 80,000 ‘Neem’ saplings had been planted across Dhaka in 2004-‘05 through an organisation established in his father’s name.
“Now you have to surpass me. You will plant even more trees. InshaAllah, you can do it,” he told the students.
The Prime Minister also recounted the history of ‘Neem’ trees on Saudi Arabia’s Arafat plain, saying it had once been almost devoid of trees.
He said Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman had sent ‘Neem’ saplings there following advice from Bangladeshi scientists, who selected the species for its suitability to the Saudi climate. The trees subsequently spread across the plain and became known as “Zia Trees”, he said.
Citing Japan as an example of cleanliness, Tarique Rahman said its streets had very little litter, attributing this not only to cleaning arrangements but also to people’s habit of not throwing rubbish indiscriminately.
He called on people to protect rivers, canals and other water bodies from pollution and stop throwing plastic bottles, polythene bags, food wrappers and other waste into the environment.
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that collective efforts by young people would help build a clean and beautiful Bangladesh. “The future belongs to you. You will lead this country,” he said.
State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam and Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton, among others, were present on the occasion.
