Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said Dhaka must be built into a liveable city, and has stressed the need to create awareness about the environment.

He said this on 9 July at the opening of the National Tree Plantation Campaign and Tree Fair at the China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka.

The Prime Minister said Dhaka ranks third on the list of the world's least liveable cities, and getting out of that position is very urgent. For a civilised country, the way factories are being built anywhere and everywhere is not acceptable, he said.

Most people in the country are unaware about the environment, he said, so awareness about the environment must be created among people.

In line with the pledge made before the election, he restated the commitment to plant 25 crore trees in five years.

Everyone must also be aware of what kind of trees should be planted in which environment, he said, and he urged people not to plant harmful trees such as eucalyptus.

At the event, three individuals and three organisations received the National Environment Award for special contributions to protecting the environment, and a total of 21 people in seven categories received national awards for tree planting.

On 6 July the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research arm of the Economist Group, published a list of 173 cities ranked by liveability. According to it, Dhaka is the third least liveable city in the world, the same position as in 2025.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.