Published : 08 Jun 2025, 08:45 PM
In a reversal of their earlier statement, the Dhaka city corporations have said the cleaning up of sacrificial animal waste in the capital is still under way a day after Eid-ul-Azha.
Earlier, they said all waste was completely removed on Eid day and night.
By 7:30pm on the second day of Eid festivities, the Dhaka North and South City Corporations reported having removed a total of 41,055 tonnes of waste.
In two separate messages sent by the city corporations in the afternoon, the waste removal operation was said to be “ongoing”.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) spokesman Rasel Rahman said in a statement that 25,191 tonnes of sacrificial waste had been disposed of at the Matuail Sanitary Landfill by 7:30pm.
On the other hand, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) reported that a total of 15,864 tonnes of waste had been removed by 7:30pm, alongside the completion of 3,042 waste-carrying truck trips to the Aminbazar landfill.
Local Government Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain said in the afternoon that the city corporation hoped to complete the waste removal within the 12-hour target initially set by them.
In a post on his verified Facebook account, he wrote: "100 percent waste removed from 487 wards in 12 city corporations by 10pm! This has been made possible through coordinated planning, hard work, and dedication.
"This is not just a statistic, it is the victory of our commitment. Cleanliness is no longer just a promise, it is now a reality."
Although the authorities reported complete waste removal on the night of Eid day, reports in several media outlets showed sacrificial animal waste still present on multiple roads in Dhaka the following morning.
In a press release on Sunday, the DNCC stressed that despite announcing 100 percent removal by 10:30pm on Saturday, many people continued to perform animal sacrifices later in the night. The new waste generated from these sacrifices was collected by DNCC workers and temporarily stored on roads and at secondary transfer stations (STSs) before being moved to landfills.
The press release added that some media reports used photos of these temporarily stored waste piles before they were transported to landfills, clarifying: “The waste removal process has not yet been completed. Cleanup operations will continue until Monday.”
It was also noted that city residents continue to perform animal sacrifices on the third day of Eid, resulting in persistent waste generation and requiring simultaneous cleaning efforts.
This year, nearly 700,000 animals may have been sacrificed in Dhaka, generating around 50,000 tonnes of waste. The two Dhaka city corporations took on the challenge of removing the waste as quickly as possible.
About 20,267 sanitation workers were deployed for the task, with their Eid holidays cancelled.
Authorities mentioned that they were prepared for waste removal from sacrifices made on the second and third days of Eid-ul-Azha.