Eid sacrifices not marred by rain in Dhaka

Rain did not mar the celebrations on Saturday morning. After taking part in Eid-ul-Azha prayers, Muslim devotees sacrificed cows and goats and marked the major religious occasion in a festive atmosphere with food and merriment.

The main Eid congregation in the capital was held at 7:30am on Monday at the National Eidgah grounds. Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, members of his Advisory Council, judges, diplomats, and people from all walks of life raised their hands in prayer, seeking the well-being of their countrymen.

Eid prayers are held in most mosques in the capital between 7:00am and 8:00am.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department forecast rain on Eid day in different parts of the country, with a slightly higher likelihood of showers in the Chattogram and Sylhet divisions.

Although the sky in Dhaka was cloudy in the morning, the morning Eid prayers were not disrupted by rain. On the contrary, the sun peeked out after 9:30am. After the Eid prayers, devotees busied themselves with animal sacrifices.

This time, the City Corporation did not mark designated spots for animal slaughter in Dhaka. Instead, as usual, sacrifices could be seen on the streets and alleys across the city.

While the lack of rain has allowed the sacrifices and meat management to be completed smoothly in the morning, the work of cleaning and removing waste will become much easier if it rains in the afternoon.

About 700,000 animals may be sacrificed in the capital this year, generating about 50,000 tonnes of waste. Accordingly, the two city corporations of Dhaka have taken up the challenge of removing the waste as soon as possible.

The authorities say 20,267 sanitation workers will be engaged in this work. Their Eid leave has already been cancelled.

About 1.39 million plastic, polythene bags and biodegradable bags have been distributed by the two city corporations to remove waste quickly and on time. In addition, a hotline will be kept open so that citizens can provide information related to waste.

Dhaka South City Administrator Shahjahan Mia said, “Our waste management work will start in the afternoon on Eid. We commit to cleaning up the sacrifice waste within 12 hours.

“We have prepared about 10,000 workers to clean up the waste. The city corporation has prepared the number of vehicles necessary.”

Shahjahan said, “We have appealed to the people to offer sacrifices in one place to facilitate waste collection.”

“In addition, if someone offers the sacrifice individually, our workers will be ready to collect that garbage too. We will not see any negligence in garbage collection.”

For any information related to waste, the DSCC hotline numbers are: 01709-900888 and 02223386014.

Dhaka North City Administrator Mohammad Ejaz said the city will be kept clean by removing garbage every day during Eid. About 10,000 employees of the city authority will participate in the 3-day Eid cleaning programme.

The Dhaka North City Corporation estimates about 20,000 tonnes of waste will be generated this Eid. A total of 224 dump trucks, 381 pickups, and 24 payloaders will be employed in waste management and 1.25 million polythene bags, 2,500 bleach packets and 4,000 containers of Savlon have been distributed for cleaning.

The DNCC has announced that two trenches will be dug in Amin Bazar for “environmentally friendly” waste management.

The numbers for the Dhaka North City Control Room are +880255052084, 16106.

ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY CALLS FOR COOPERATION TO DISPOSE OF WASTE

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has called for the cooperation of all citizens in disposing of Eid-ul-Azha sacrificial animal waste in an environmentally friendly manner.

The slaughtering of animals, the dumping of remains, and the reckless disposal of waste can lead to environmental pollution, health risks, and public suffering, it said.

As such, it sought the active participation of everyone in preventing these issues.

In a press release issued by the ministry on Thursday, it called for sacrificial animals to be slaughtered at designated places in city corporations, municipalities, district councils, Upazila councils and union councils. It also asked for people to refrain from slaughtering animals in public or undesignated places.

The ministry also urged everyone to ensure proper personal protection - such as gloves, masks, and aprons – for the animal slaughter and subsequent activities.

In addition, it requested that the blood, dung and other discarded parts of the animal be buried in designated pits, or disposed of in designated garbage bins or locations.

Remains such as blood, skin, entrails, bones, horns, and dung should not be thrown away in the open under any circumstances, it added.

The ministry is encouraging the use of environmentally friendly (biodegradable) bags or containers, rather than plastic, for distributing sacrificial meat or disposing of waste.