Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called on citizens to act more responsibly in protecting the environment, saying a clean and livable Bangladesh requires efforts from both the state and the public. In a message posted on his verified Facebook page on Monday, he urged people across the country to help keep the nation clean and attractive.

Rahman said every citizen has a duty to conserve the environment and that a cleaner setting and better country can be built if individuals properly fulfil their responsibilities. He pointed to litter visible around markets, river landing areas and busy roads in Dhaka, district towns, upazilas and, in some cases, villages.

The prime minister cited discarded tissues, chips packets, plastic cooking-oil bottles and water bottles among waste scattered in public places. He said people would not like such rubbish spread around their own homes, and appealed for collective action to keep the country and its environment clean. He said this would help ensure a healthy country and healthy environment for future generations.