Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Mohammad Atiqul Islam cleaned his house to make the city dwellers aware of the need to eradicate aedes mosquitoes to prevent dengue and chikungunya.
At the same time, he called on the city dwellers to clean their homes, and said that there is nothing to be ashamed of working to keep one’s own home clean.
Mayor Atiq has started this new movement with the slogan 'Clean your houses10 minutes at 10am every Saturday'.
As part of the previously announced program, he came to live on Facebook at 10 am on Saturday and cleaned his own residence in the capital's Uttara. Starting the trend, the mayor walked around his house on Facebook Live to show what and how to keep it clean in order to stay clear of disease-prone elements.
At that time, the mayor said, “Let's build a social movement. I would urge all city dwellers to come live every morning and work like this for 10 minutes, in order to tackle dengue. Otherwise, many people will suffer.”
He added that the authorities of the city corporation cannot go inside the house to check the rooftops of houses of individuals. However, dengue mosquitoes tend to lay eggs and breed in such places. Hence, it is important for everyone to keep their households clean.
Atiqul Islam said, “We have to be much more aware. If we are not aware of ourselves then it will be very difficult to bring change and effectiveness to our work”.
Calling for a social movement to clean up the house, the mayor said, "I urge the people of the city to come forward. We keep our own house clean and tidy. There is nothing to be ashamed of. It is important to not let water rest anywhere for more than three days.”
The mayor said that there are 47 health care centers, where one can get tested dengue for free and requested all social organizations, clubs and societies to come forward.