‘Make Dhaka as clean as Tokyo’

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has pledged to make Dhaka as clean as Tokyo, identifying improved waste management, reduced air pollution and a healthier environment as key priorities for reforms aimed at improving people’s lives.

“If we can make Dhaka as clean as Tokyo, as clean as Japan, that will be a major achievement,” he said.

Speaking at an exchange of views with Bangladeshi expatriates at Hotel New Otani in Tokyo on Wednesday, Tarique said cleaner streets and a healthier environment would help prevent illness and improve public wellbeing. The programme was organised by Bangladesh Community, Japan.

Tarique said he had asked a member of his delegation about Tokyo, who replied that he had not seen rubbish scattered on the streets. Dhaka, by contrast, had waste lying in many places, the prime minister said.

He said the government was working to make Dhaka and other parts of the country cleaner, while addressing air pollution, which regularly features in news reports about the capital.

The government also wants to improve air quality, filter polluted air where possible and plant trees in different areas, he said.

“People will gradually fall sick if rubbish and waste keep accumulating everywhere. Germs and diseases can spread from accumulated waste. If we want to keep people healthy, we have to clean the environment and remove waste properly,” Tarique said. He described cleaner cities and a healthier environment as major reforms that could directly improve daily life.

“What better reform can there be than ensuring that people can walk freely without being obstructed by waste, that they do not fall sick because of rubbish and that the country’s air is not polluted?” he said.