Dhaka city corporations claim to clear sacrificial animal waste ahead of schedule

The task has been carried out by 20,267 sanitation workers, whose Eid holidays were cancelled

Authorities in Dhaka claim to have removed all sacrificial animal waste from Eid-ul-Azha festivities well ahead of deadline initially set by the city’s two corporations.

According to officials, the waste removal was completed within eight to eight and a half hours, ahead of the 12-hour by the city corporations.

A combined force of over 20,000 sanitation workers was deployed across Dhaka North and South, many of whom had their Eid holidays cancelled to ensure swift and efficient waste removal.

On Saturday morning, Local Government Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain had expressed optimism that the waste could be removed within the timeframe.

ABM Shamsul Alam, chief waste management officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), told bdnews24.com at 10:30pm: “We have completed 100 percent waste removal in the DNCC area on Eid day. A total of around 9,500 tonnes of waste has been removed.”

He added that waste removal operations began around 2:00pm, with over 10,000 sanitation workers engaged in the effort.

Highlighting the commitment of both city corporations, Asif said: “The majority of the waste can be removed within the day. If everyone had followed the guidelines and sacrificed animals in designated spots, 100 percent of the waste could have been removed within the day.”

DNCC Administrator Mohammad Azaz noted that by 1:45pm, approximately 5,500 tonnes of waste had already been removed from the north.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Public Relations Officer Rasel Rahman said, “Animal waste was cleared within just eight hours.”

He explained that following the sacrifices, waste was collected from neighbourhoods and transferred to secondary transfer stations in each ward before being taken to the Matuail Sanitary Landfill by dump trucks for final disposal.

“So far, around 12,000 tonnes of waste have already been dumped at the Matuail landfill, out of a targeted 30,000 tonnes,” he added.

The DSCC’s operations began at 1:30pm, with 10,000 staff deployed on the ground to manage the Eid waste.

An estimated 700,000 animals were expected to be sacrificed across Dhaka this year, generating around 50,000 tonnes of waste. In anticipation, both city corporations launched extensive operations to remove the waste as quickly as possible.

Authorities confirmed they were fully prepared to handle the waste from sacrifices carried out on the second and third days of Eid-ul-Azha.