Environmental Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan has stressed that protecting rivers requires more than lip service, as people often support conservation in words but not in practice. “Although initiatives have been taken to free Dhaka’s four rivers and 63 others outside the capital from encroachment and pollution, waste continues to be dumped into them,” she said. She warned that banning old vehicles in the capital invites transport strikes, while polythene bags remain in widespread use despite public support for a ban. “Changing a few individuals won’t change the country—there must be a collective shift in mindset,” Rizwana emphasized.