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Friday | October 16, 2026 | Dhaka

Dhaka’s air pollution a ‘matter of shame’: PM

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:01 AM, 16 October 2026

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday called Dhaka’s persistent air pollution a “matter of shame” for the country, urging people from all walks of life to take responsibility for protecting the environment and forests.

Speaking at a meeting to review the progress and implementation of activities of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, he stressed the need for collective efforts and greater public awareness to build a liveable Bangladesh for future generations.

“This is a matter of shame for the country. Everyone must take responsibility from their respective positions to change the situation,” he said, expressing concern that Dhaka had ranked first or second among the world’s most polluted cities for many years.

The meeting, held at the ministry’s conference room, decided to identify and preserve the country’s mother trees within the next six months.

It also directed the authorities to ensure regular maintenance of planted trees, monitor their survival through field visits and explore opportunities to expand afforestation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

The prime minister urged government officials to go beyond their assigned responsibilities and take additional initiatives to protect forests and the environment.

“Your capacity goes a little beyond the duties assigned to you,” he told ministry officials, encouraging them to contribute more to the country and its people instead of limiting themselves to routine duties.

“Allah has given us an opportunity to do something for this country and its people. You may work from nine to five [9am-5pm]. Nobody will say anything if you do nothing beyond that. But if the environment deteriorates, future generations will suffer, because your next generation will also live in this country,” Tarique Rahman said.

He added that not everyone had the opportunity to work for the country and those holding responsible positions should make the most of it.

The prime minister also highlighted the need to increase public access to natural spaces, encouraging rooftop gardening and the development of gardens at schools and other buildings.

He said public awareness campaigns should be developed separately to support the implementation of environmental and forest conservation programmes, adding that greater awareness would make government initiatives easier to carry out.

Referring to the plan to plant 25 crore trees, Tarique Rahman said the entire population would benefit if the programme was implemented properly. Collective efforts could deliver positive results for the people, he added.

The meeting further decided that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change would take initiatives to make up for any shortfall if other ministries failed to meet their tree-planting targets.

Regular maintenance and monitoring would also be ensured to assess the survival of planted trees.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo, State Minister Shaikh Faridul Islam, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Dr Md Saimum Parvez, acting Secretary Fahmida Khanom and senior officials attended the meeting.