As an economy, Bangladesh has come a long way since its days of starvation and abject poverty. Which is why it is all the more regrettable that our economic progress has not resulted in a better quality of life.
Case in point: Our capital city. Every single day, thousands of tons of household waste is produced in Dhaka, and due to our broken waste management system, it is not properly disposed of. Adding our habit of indiscriminate littering, along with clogged drains and irregular city cleaning services, we are left with a city that is not very conducive to healthy living.
To that end, the government’s announcement of a project that aims to make Dhaka a cleaner, smarter city in terms of its municipal services is more than welcome. Involving the sum of $80 billion, the project specifically seeks to free Dhaka from indiscriminate digging, waste, and dust.
Given the city’s current struggles to maintain breathable air -- as testified by the city’s ever-increasing numbers in the Air Quality Index -- this is a timely announcement, and one that inspires hope for the future.
However, we have heard such promises before.
Time and again, our city corporations have failed in keeping our city clean, despite repeated assurances that waste management and garbage collection are a priority. What we need is for our city corporations and administrative services to cooperate.
But the onus of keeping our city clean also lies on the average citizen -- to that end, more stringent fines for would-be polluters and litterers are called for.
A cleaner Dhaka will not materialize out of thin air. While government action is indeed appreciated, we need to start rolling our sleeves and do our own part to live cleaner.
