I HAVE recently asked myself repeatedly a painful question: Are we a dirty nation? I have begun to believe that the answer might be 鈥榶es鈥�. And no, I do not mean 鈥榙irty鈥� neither in a political sense nor in terms of character, flattery culture, or social behaviour. I simply speak about our attitude towards physical cleanliness: the visible, day-to-day dirtiness of the surroundings.
Stepping outside in Dhaka sets the tone: the dirt starts from the doorstep. filth is everywhere, on the streets, footpaths, and shopfronts. I try to regularly walk in the morning. Except for occasional disruption caused by rain or other reasons, I walk almost every morning. But now, the joy of walking is fading. The unbearable stench from Hatirjheel鈥檚 water has made walking around it nearly impossible.
A few days ago, I travelled to my hometown of Sirajganj. The bus journey was traumatic. Piles of garbage were lined along the highway, emitting a stench so terrible that passengers began vomiting. I was on the verge. The bus conductor sprayed air fresheners to help, but the mixed odour only made things worse.
On reaching Sirajganj, I found the same depressing scene: garbage scattered everywhere along the road. The next morning, I headed towards the bank of the River Jamuna, my favourite spot since childhood, a place I have always taken pride in. But I was shocked to see how filthy it had become with discarded paper, plastic, fruit peels, food waste. I kept walking toward the T-head, but the stench of cow dung and human urine made it unbearable.
Everywhere I went, I saw signs of neglect and dirt. This made me reflect again: are we a dirty nation? What is most disappointing is that it does not have to be this way. We can clean up our surroundings. With the right attitude and a bit of coordination, the government can improve the situation significantly, even within days, if right steps are taken.
The government can initiate a nationwide campaign urging citizens to keep the front of their houses, shops, offices and restaurants clean. There should be no dust, brick chips, loose soil or sand cluttering any frontage. This campaign must be communicated widely on television, newspapers, social media and local announcement. Non-compliance could result in a fine, even for public authorities.
To enforce this, city corporations, police stations, civil administration and the fire service offices can work in coordination. In fact, the Fire Service and Civil Defence can be mobilised to run street-cleaning operation using its equipment. It can simulate emergency response drills by sweeping away mud, sand and debris, making our roads and environment clean and pleasant.
For district towns, the same approach should be taken. The government should announce a cleanliness directive on television, newspapers and local announcement, urging all citizens to clean the front of their houses, shops, restaurants and offices.
The responsibility should fall on the municipal corporations and district councils. The deputy commissioner鈥檚 office and the fire service can lead the operation. In a fortnight, the fire service should clean major roads and even wash the riverbanks, if necessary.
I hope someday soon I will no longer need to question whether we are a dirty nation.
听
Mahbub Hasnat is an NGO activist.