A 30-member team from Japan will visit Bangladesh in February to help clean Dhaka city, Dhaka University (DU) Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr ABM Obaidul Islam said on Saturday (3 October).

He made the remarks while inaugurating a cleanliness and mosquito-control campaign titled ‘Cleaning Day’ at the university’s Teacher-Student Centre (TSC). The programme was organised by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) with support from the DU Chhatra Dal.

Regarding the Japanese delegation, the vice-chancellor said, “A 30-member team from Japan will come to Dhaka in the first week of February to clean the city. They have already sent a letter to the Dhaka University vice-chancellor, and we have agreed to it.”

He said the visit was both a matter of happiness and regret, as Bangladesh had been unable to maintain cleanliness on its own.

“It is unfortunate that the outside world knows that cleanliness is not maintained at the desired level in Bangladesh. We want every place to remain clean and we should maintain cleanliness ourselves, without depending on others,” he said.

Urging students to become more conscious about cleanliness, the vice-chancellor also highlighted the dengue situation. He said students often leave food containers and leftovers on balconies or corridors of residential halls, where stagnant water can create breeding grounds for mosquitoes and contribute to the spread of dengue.

He stressed that awareness about cleanliness must come from within and that cleanliness efforts should continue throughout the year, rather than being limited to a single day.

At the event, DSCC Administrator Abdus Salam said Dhaka University had historically played a leading role in Bangladesh and that its teachers and students should lead efforts to improve the current situation.

Referring to BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman’s ‘Clean City, Green City’ vision, he said the city corporation had provided 200 personnel for the cleanliness drive and would provide more if necessary.

He urged students not to throw waste on roads, in front of the TSC or elsewhere on campus. He also said the city corporation could provide permanent cleaning staff if the vice-chancellor requested them.

Abdus Salam also stressed the need to regulate floating vendors around the TSC, Shahbagh and Central Shaheed Minar areas. He proposed preparing a list of vendors and bringing them under an identification system.

“Shaheed Minar is a place of our heritage and pride. We cannot allow this place to remain unclean,” he said.