Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has urged citizens, particularly students and young people, to take collective responsibility for preventing dengue by keeping their homes, educational institutions and neighbourhoods clean.He also encouraged students to plant at least one tree every year on their own birthdays and those of their family members to promote a greener environment. He made the call while visiting a cleanliness drive at Rajuk Uttara Model College in Dhaka on Saturday, where he spoke to members of the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) and Scouts.Earlier, the prime minister visited Kuwait-Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital to inspect healthcare services and cleanliness. Expressing dissatisfaction with the hospital’s overall management and hygiene, he gave the authorities seven days to improve the situation.Tarique said prevention was the most effective way to combat dengue, whose incidence typically rises during this period, particularly through November. He stressed that the government alone could not keep Dhaka clean, given the city’s large population and the limited capacity of municipal cleaning services.The prime minister also called for greater public awareness to stop littering, noting that dustbins and tree saplings planted by city corporations were being stolen from different locations.Recalling Dhaka’s greener past, he said the decline in trees and open spaces had contributed to rising temperatures. Collective efforts to maintain cleanliness and increase greenery were essential to making the capital more liveable, he added.During the interaction, students responded positively to his call to help keep their homes, schools and neighbourhoods clean.