Bangladesh, Sept. 7 -- Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered government agencies to step up coordinated action to control pollution and restore Dhaka's rivers, stressing that protecting the capital's waterways requires not only public participation but also clear responsibility and effective implementation by the authorities.

At a review meeting at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Sunday, Rahman said protecting the Buriganga, Turag, Dhaleshwari, Balu and Shitalakkhya rivers could not be left to the government alone.

"We cannot simply wait for government directives; we must also act out of our own sense of responsibility," he said, framing river conservation as a shared civic responsibility.

The prime minister directed officials to ac...