Cleaning sacrificial animal wasteDhaka North cleaned, waste scattered in some South areas

Sacrificial animal waste from most of the areas under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) was cleaned promptly, while waste was found scattered on the roads of a few Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) areas on Wednesday, the third day of Eid-ul-Azha.

City dwellers said that waste of sacrificial animals from most parts of Dhaka North, including Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Badda, Gulshan, and Uttara, was collected and transported away from the city, but in some areas like Sonir Akhra, Demra, Bangshal, and Banasree, collection was still going on.

Before Eid-ul-Azha, DSCC mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said that they would collect and transport the waste of animals within 24 hours of completing the sacrificing of animals, while DNCC mayor Atiqul promised to do the work within just six hours.

The Muslim community started the second-largest festival on 17 June by sacrificing cows, goats, lambs, and other animals.

Earlier, two city corporations fixed a number of slaughter spots for the sake of efficient waste management, but this time it was not done.

According to the DNCC public relation office circular, they collected and transported 20,105 tonnes of waste in 4,177 trips until 5pm on Wednesday – the third day of Eid-ul-Azha.

On the first and second days, they collected 10, 374 and 4.009 tonnes of waste, respectively, from 54 wards through 2,201 and 927 trips.

DSCC public relation office said that they collected and transported a total of 23.958 tonnes of waste from its 75 wards through 5,319 tirps.

DSCC collected 11,685 tonnes, 9,039 tonnes and 3,234 tonnes of waste in the first, second, and third days of Eid through 2,508 trips, 1,974 trips, and 837 trips, respectively.

The correspondent visited a number of areas, including Shaympur, Postogola, Gulistan, Badda, Vatara, and Gulshan, and talked with residents living in other areas too.

Rafiqul Amin, a resident of Amulia Model town, said that beside Bansaree-Demra road, rotten waste from sacrificial animals was spreading a foul smell.

He said, “Residents of the areas littered waste of sacrificial animals beside the road, making a nuisance to passersby on the roads.”

He, however, said that workers at DSCC started collecting the waste on Wednesday afternoon.

Residents of DSCC 33 no ward said that leftovers of animals and blood were seen in the Kazi Alauddin and Siddique Bazar areas. Besides, waste was seen scattered on the alleys of the Begum Bazar and Zindabahar areas under Ward 33.

The councillor of 32 no ward Awal Hossain told the media that the waste was from the sacrificial animals slaughtered on the third day of Eid, and they were collecting it.

However, residents of the Dhaka North area were quite comfortable with waste management, as waste was cleaned quickly.

Muhibul Hasan, a resident of Mirpur-13, said, “Major roads in our areas are free from the waste of sacrificial animals. The city corporation this time did a good job.”

He said that in most of the areas he visited in the Dhaka North, the cleanliness activities were satisfactory.

The President of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners, also a vocal advocate of citizen rights, Prof Adil Mohammed Khan, lauded two city corporations for collecting and transporting waste in an efficient manner.

“As a resident of the Dhanmondi area, I saw some waste on the roads on the second day, but I have not seen any waste scattered on the roads today. Really, two city corporations did the complex job beautifully. The role of city residents was also remarkable,” he said on Wednesday.

He also said, “In some Dhaka South areas, including the Old Dhaka, waste management was a bit behind the target. I hope that in the upcoming year, city authorities will find the barriers to collecting waste and fix them.”