Canal clean-up campaign held in Hazaribagh

A major canal clean-up campaign has taken place in Hazaribagh Bottola Mazar Canal in the capital under the ‘Cholo Khaal Bachai’ initiative.

Footsteps Bangladesh, in collaboration with Berger Paints Bangladesh Limited, conducted the campaign with support from the Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change (MOFECC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC.

The campaign united community members, volunteers, and institutions in a collective effort to restore one of Dhaka’s most polluted canals, according to a press release.

Organisers said volunteers played a vital role in engaging local residents, raising awareness about pollution, and ensuring smooth logistics at the site.

For years, the Hazaribag Bottola Mazar Canal has been choked with plastic, household waste, and other pollutants, thus intensifying monsoon flooding and turning the canal into a breeding ground for mosquitoes, threatening the health and safety of surrounding neighbourhoods.

The campaign removed 35 truckloads of waste and debris over 12 days, reviving water flow and improving the canal’s environment for nearby communities.

Officials from MoFEC and DSCC praised the initiative as a model of cross-sector collaboration to tackle Dhaka’s water management and urban pollution crisis.

Shah Rafayat Chowdhury, President of Footsteps Bangladesh, emphasised the significance of the clean-up. “This canal has suffered years of neglect and waste accumulation. Berger’s leadership and commitment have helped kick-start this revival. With continued support from government bodies and the community, we are proving that Dhaka’s dying canals can be brought back to life,” he said.