Adviser to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, has said that they do not want to launch programs such as cleaning a single canal just for show.
He said this on Friday while participating in the Rampura-Jirani canal cleaning campaign in Khilgaon, Dhaka, organized on the occasion of National Youth Day.
Asif Mahmud said: “We have taken the initiative to clean one canal or water body in each of the 64 districts, with the support of our youth organizations, and the cooperation of the Advisor to the Ministry of Water Resources.”
He further said that they are working on sustainable management to keep the canals and water bodies clean even after they have been cleared. Initiatives such as tree planting alongside the canals for beautification are also being undertaken. This campaign will continue for the next 15 days.
The adviser added that there is no alternative to keeping Bangladesh's water bodies clean and tidy for building a beautiful Bangladesh. If these water bodies remain dirty, they can spread various types of germs, posing risks to city dwellers. That is why this initiative has been launched.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Water Resources in the interim government, attended the Rampura-Jirani canal cleaning campaign as the chief guest.
Notably, the canal cleaning campaign, which began on Friday in Dhaka, saw the participation of 700 volunteers, including 500 from BD Clean-C at 14 spots along the Jirani canal and 200 from Nongor Bangladesh.
Additionally, youth activists from various youth organizations under the Department of Youth Development joined the Rampura canal cleaning campaign.
Alongside volunteers and youth organizations, the campaign also involved various NGOs, local government bodies, Dhaka South City Corporation, BIWTA, the Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO), Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), the Forest Department, the Fire Service, trainees, self-employed entrepreneurs, students, youth, and the general public.
The WRG-2030, an organization under the World Bank, played a major supporting role in the canal cleaning campaign. Additionally, the Dhaka District Civil Surgeon’s Office assisted with a medical team for the campaign.
