Littering — A social problem

Our beloved capital, Dhaka is rated as the most unliveable city on the planet. One of the reasons for this is because Dhaka is very dirty; open garbage can be found and bad odour of garbage can be smelled in many parts of the city.

This probably also makes Dhaka as one of the dirtiest cities in the world. This has turned Dhaka into an unhealthy city to live in because people living in close proximity to open garbage become susceptible to many types of diseases.

In addition, it creates a bad impression among foreign visitors about our capital.

Blaming the city authorities will not solve the problem because it is not because of them alone why Dhaka is dirty.

It is time to realise that the residents of the city play a big role in creating such a big mess.

It is a common habit of many residents in Dhaka to litter. It is also a common habit of some households in the capital to throw garbage out the window.

It is time people changed these unhygienic and irresponsible behaviour because this is utterly unhealthy for everyone in the city. Such behaviour is also clogging the drainage system which is causing water-clogging during the rainy season.

To tackle this social problem the government may consider conducting a social campaign to raise awareness among the city-dwellers about the harmful effects of littering and also encouraging them to deposit trash in proper places.

Parents and schools should teach children about this. This habit is best learned and adopted at a young age. In many cities around the world, littering is a crime and people found littering is fined.

The authorities should make littering a crime in Dhaka too and penalise people for committing this crime.

The writer, a Transportation Engineer, works in Thailand.

 ridwanq@gmail.com