How Chattogram successfully managed sacrificial waste this Eid

Removing sacrificial animal waste quickly and effectively is one of the biggest challenges for city authorities during Eid-ul-Adha. This year, Chattogram claims to have met that challenge successfully, prompting discussion about the city's waste management approach.

Highlights: TBS

Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) says it completed the city's waste removal operation within six hours on Eid day.

According to the CCC, the formal cleanup operation began in the afternoon and was completed by evening. The city corporation collected a total of 16,000 tonnes of waste over two days – 10,000 tonnes on Eid day and another 6,000 tonnes the following day.

Mayor Shahadat Hossain directly supervised the operation and monitored the situation from the control room at Dampara throughout the cleanup effort. A total of 3,200 sanitation workers and 379 vehicles, including dump trucks, compactors and payloaders, were deployed across the city, CCC sources said.

CCC Deputy Chief Conservancy Officer Pranab Kumar Sharma told TBS, "We provided rickshaws, vans and battery-run three-wheelers according to the needs of each ward. The mayor's direct supervision had a positive impact on the operation.

"Preparations were taken before Eid. Ward-level duties were assigned in advance, vehicles were kept ready, and sanitation workers were deployed to specific areas. As a result, there were no major coordination problems once the operation began."

He added, "Cooperation from city residents made the operation easier, and CCC wants to move towards a more advanced waste management system in the future."

Residents in different parts of the city also spoke positively about the cleanup operation, saying waste was removed quickly from their neighbourhoods.

Aminul Islam, a resident of Hamzar Bagh, told TBS that the city corporation started its cleanup operation after noon and many areas had been cleaned by evening.

"The waste was removed quickly, so foul odours did not spread," he said.

Yasin Arafat, a resident of Bakalia, said they placed the sacrificial waste at the designated spot after processing the meat.

"Sanitation workers collected it in the afternoon. I did not see waste left lying around in nearby areas," he said.

Socheton Nagorik Committee (Sonak)-TIB Chattogram President Engineer Md Delwar Hossain Majumder told TBS that CCC's sacrificial waste management system had improved steadily over the years.

"Chattogram City Corporation has become more efficient year after year and has set an example. Following the trend of previous years, it completed the work in an even shorter time this year, which is commendable," he said.

He said the experience could serve as an example for other city corporations.

"If they want, they can learn from Chattogram's experience and make their own waste management systems more effective," he said.

However, he said citizens also need to be more aware.

"Many people perform sacrifices in the afternoon or even the following day. As a result, waste continues to be generated after the scheduled cleanup period. Although that waste is eventually removed, once the entire system has been mobilised, carrying out the same operation again becomes difficult for the administration. That is why public cooperation is extremely important," he said.

Calling the coordinated effort between CCC and city residents a positive example, Delwar urged other city corporations to learn from the experience.

According to officials and civic leaders, Chattogram's experience this year shows that effective waste management is possible even in large cities with proper planning, strong supervision and public cooperation.