Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday called upon MPs to raise public awareness to help reduce waterlogging across the country, saying blocked drains, canals and other water channels worsen the problem particularly in urban areas.

“The problem in urban areas lies with big drains, lakes and canals. We use different things like plastic bottles and polythene. We are unintentionally blocking these canals and beels (by dumping these things into the water channels),” he said.

The Prime Minister made the remarks at Parliament after treasury bench lawmaker Sayeed Al Noman (Chattogram-10) on a point of order raised the issue of waterlogging and public suffering in Chattogram city.

Pointing at the lawmaker, Tarique Rahman said he has already spoken with the Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation in this regard and the mayor is working to address the issue.

Noting that it has been a severe waterlogging and it would take time to address it, he said, “For the suffering caused by this, I sincerely express my sorrow to the residents of Chattogram city. We are trying our best to bring people out of this problem as quickly as possible.”

Referring to media reports on inundation in Chattogram city, the Prime Minister said the problem is not confined to the port city alone but exists across the country including in Dhaka where blocked drains during rainfall often lead to serious waterlogging.

Describing the waterlogging as a long-standing problem, he recalled that former president Ziaur Rahman had once taken initiatives to address it through canal re-excavation across the country, which created water reservoir and thus control flood and remove waterlogging.

“We exactly need to return to that kind of work again,” he said, adding that the current government has already begun canal excavation programmes.

Although the government has undertaken efforts to clean drains and improve drainage systems in Dhaka city, the problem often resurfaces within 7-10 days as people continue to dump waste indiscriminately that blocked the drains again, he said.

Citing that the waterlogging problem is there in many constituencies including Dhaka-12, he said several lawmakers including Dhaka-12 MP Saiful Alam have raised similar concerns with him. “It is a huge problem. I believe the government will continue to take more initiatives,” he said.

He also stressed reducing the use of plastic bottles, polythene and similar materials and ensuring proper disposal after use.

"As members of parliament, I think we have a moral responsibility to make people aware of this issue," said the Prime Minister.