Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today called upon the Members of Parliament (MPs) to take initiatives to create public awareness to resolve waterlogging.
The Leader of the House made the call responding to a concern raised by treasury bench lawmaker from Chattogram-10 constituency Sayeed Al Noman in the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) this morning with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, in the chair.
The lawmaker raised the issue of severe waterlogging in Chattogram city and the sufferings of the city-dwellers under a point of order.
The Prime Minister said, "Since yesterday, I have also seen in the news that due to heavy rainfall, a large part of Chattogram city has gone under water and people are suffering".
"This problem is not only in Chattogram; it exists across the country. There are many places in Dhaka where drains get blocked during rainfall, causing waterlogging. This is a long-standing problem," he continued.
Noting that Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman had created water reservoirs across Bangladesh through canal excavation and also reduced flooding and waterlogging, the premier said, "We have to return to the same approach".
"We have already started canal excavation programmes. In urban areas, the problem is that lakes, large drainages, and canals get blocked, causing severe waterlogging. We use items like plastic bottles and polythene and irresponsibly discard them into canals and waterbodies, blocking the mouths of the canals and drains and creating waterlogging," he added.
Tarique Rahman said the government is trying to clean these drains, adding, in Dhaka, several have been cleaned, but it has been noticed that within seven to ten days, people are again irresponsibly blocking these canals by throwing various kinds of wastes into them.
He said the issue also exists in Dhaka-12 constituency and noted that he discussed the matter with the lawmaker from the constituency, Saiful Alam.
Calling it a major challenge, the Prime Minister said the government will continue efforts, but public awareness is essential.
"I request all MPs present here to help increase public awareness. Through awareness, this problem can be significantly reduced," he said.
The premier emphasized the need to reduce the use of plastic items and ensure proper disposal to prevent blockage of drains and canals.
"It is the moral responsibility of MPs to make people aware of this issue," he said.
Expressing regret over public suffering in Chattogram, the Prime Minister said he has already spoken with the Chattogram city mayor, who is working to address the situation, but it may take time due to the severity.
"I sincerely express regret to the residents of Chattogram city for this suffering. We are trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible," he said.
MSH
