Legal action from 20 October if canals, ditches found unclean: DNCC mayor

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayor Md Atiqul Islam on Wednesday said, legal action will be taken against authorities concerned from 20 October, if canals and ditches are found to be unclean.

He announced the operation while inspecting the Godakhali canal cleaning activities and visiting an exhibition of various items found from the canal at South Bisshil in the capital's Mirpur area.

"We will inspect canals, ditches, etc. in the DNCC area from the 20th to protect city residents from Culex mosquitoes in the coming winter season, just as we have conducted combing operations and fined (authorities concerned) to protect city dwellers from Aedes mosquitoes," the mayor said.

The mayor said, if a canal or ditch is found to be unclean, (concerned authorities) will be fined.

"Disregarding whether it is publicly or privately owned, they will be fined. I will be forced to take measures against that person or organisation. Because if the canal is full of water hyacinth or if it is unclean, it becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes," he added.

Regarding the exhibition, Atiqul Islam said they have been cleaning lakes and canals under the DNCC jurisdiction for a few days. Some of the items found in the canals are being shown in the exhibition.

"We have found hundreds of carpets, dozens of sofas, television shells, broken refrigerators, suitcases, pillows, 200 truckloads of coconut shells" he said.

"But why is that? When will we learn to love this city?"

"Water transportation routes are being built abroad using canals. But sadly, our canals are being occupied, houses and fields are being built on them. Everyone is doing business with these canals," he continued.

"We are cleaning the canals, but we are not supposed to do that. This task is supposed to be done by a different organisation. Despite that our counsellors thinks we all should do it," he further added.

DNCC is working to clean 18 canals and lakes, owned by various agencies, within this month. Every day 510 people are brought in to do the cleaning.