Control room open for sacrificial animal waste clean-up; protests didn't disrupt operations: Dhaka South

Despite administrative challenges stemming from an ongoing protest at Nagar Bhaban, the Dhaka South City Corporation has said it is successfully carrying out the clean-up operations of sacrificial animal waste. 

The city corporation said it removed waste from all 75 wards before the targeted time.

"We are operating the waste management drive from the Dhaka South control room. Relevant offices in Nagar Bhaban were temporarily opened to facilitate the work. Our full operations - control room, vehicle deployment, cleaning - are all running," Shafiullah Siddique Bhuiyan, supervising engineer at Dhaka South City Corporation, told The Business Standard.

"Even today [Eid's second day], workers are engaged in removing waste from Old Dhaka and other parts of the south where sacrifices are still taking place. On Eid day, we managed to clear all the waste within 12 hours," he added. 

When asked whether the protests had disrupted operations, he said, "Before Eid, we couldn't even access our offices. But once the movement eased, we mobilised the cleaning workforce and resumed activities."

Earlier, Dhaka South City Corporation announced that more than 1.33 lakh animals were sacrificed this Eid, and over 10,000 personnel and 2,000 vehicles were deployed to remove the waste. 

Despite rain and logistical pressure, the city corporation declared it had cleared all waste in just eight hours on Eid day.

The waste removal drive officially began at 1:45pm yesterday (7 June) following the formal inauguration by Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. 

By 9:30pm the same day, Dhaka South said it had cleared sacrificial waste from all wards under its jurisdiction.

This year, a total of 1,33,317 animals were sacrificed within the Dhaka South areas during Eid-ul-Adha. The waste was initially collected at ward-level secondary transfer stations before being transported by dump trucks to the Matuail Sanitary Landfill for final disposal.

So far, 12,000 metric tonnes of the projected 30,000 metric tonnes of waste have already been dumped at the landfill.

The Dhaka South deployed over 10,000 personnel in the field to ensure the smooth removal of sacrificial waste. A total of 2,079 vehicles were used, including 207 dump trucks, 44 compactors, 39 container carriers, and 16 payloaders.

In addition to logistics, the Dhaka South City Corporation distributed approximately 45 tonnes of bleaching powder, 207 five-litre gallons of Savlon, and 1.4 lakh biodegradable bags among city residents to ensure cleanliness and hygiene.

Despite rainfall, waste management operations continued uninterrupted. Dhaka South Administrator Md Shahjahan Mia thanked the frontline cleaners and all staff involved for their dedication and timely efforts. He also expressed gratitude to city dwellers for their cooperation and to the media for encouraging residents to perform sacrifices at designated spots and promptly sharing Dhaka South's messages with the public.

Preparations are also in place to handle sacrificial waste generated on the second and third days of Eid.