Proactive citizens clean up most of capital

A wheel loader of Dhaka South City Corporation dumps the remains of sacrificial cattle into a truck in Lalbagh Beribandh area of the capital on Tuesday for transporting to a proper dumping place on the outskirts of the city. Photo: Anisur Rahman

Awareness and prompt steps taken by the dwellers of the capital in cleaning spots used for slaughtering sacrificial animals marking Eid-ul-Azha and sprinkling bleaching powder as disinfectants have resulted in most areas comparatively turning up clean.
Such steps helped cleaners of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) to easily collect and take the garbage away to dumping grounds around the city.
Around 13,000 cleaners of DSCC and DNCC started a special cleaning drive at noon on Eid day, predominantly observed on Monday. Till yesterday, some 30,000 tonnes of garbage generated from the sacrifice of around four lakh sacrificial animals have been removed, stated city corporation sources.
However, many residents complained that the city corporations did not distribute bleaching powder. “I had to spend Tk 100 on bleaching powder as I got none from the corporation,” said Babul Hossain, a resident of Mirpur-12.
Anowar Hossain, another resident, said the locals did not wait for the city corporation cleaners and cleaned the waste themselves, keeping the garbage in sacks or other containers so that it could be easily taken away.
The areas which still have a lot of cleaning to do are mostly places where makeshift cattle markets had been set up.
Piles of garbage was seen at the open space adjoining Postogola crematory cattle market, Morhum Haji Delowar Hossain cattle market in Lalbagh and Balurmath adjoining Brothers Union Club in Gopibagh.
DSCC Additional Chief Waste Management Officer Abu Saleh Main Uddin said their drive was delayed for lessees of some cattle markets, including those at Postogola and Gopibagh, who did not remove the bamboo structures erected at the venues. He hoped to complete the cleaning works in all the cattle markets by today.
DNCC Superintendent Engineer (garbage management department) Mesbahul Karim said they have completed their special drive.
He said most cattle markets had expanded as the capital's biggest market at Nayabazar was not set up this year, prompting traders to look for alternatives and posing a huge challenge for the cleaners to remove the garbage.