The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has claimed to have exceeded its Eid-ul-Azha waste management target by removing more than 36,000 tonnes of sacrificial animal and cattle market waste within three days.
Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday, DSCC Administrator Abdus Salam said the city corporation had set a target of removing 33,942 tonnes of waste from sacrificial animal markets and Eid-related activities during the three-day period.
"Pleasantly, with the cooperation of all concerned, we have disposed of a total of 36,086 tonnes of waste at the Matuail landfill from Eid day until midnight on May 30, surpassing our original target," he said.
According to DSCC data, 14,814 tonnes of waste were removed on the first day, 8,977 tonnes on the second day and 12,295 tonnes on the third day.
The DSSC administrator thanked city residents for their cooperation, noting that many citizens slaughtered sacrificial animals at designated locations and properly bagged waste for collection.
He said positive changes in public awareness take time but expressed optimism that citizens will gradually become more conscious of their civic responsibilities, helping build a cleaner Dhaka.
Highlighting the scale of the challenge, Abdus Salam said the DSCC normally removes between 3,200 and 3,500 tonnes of waste daily. However, during Eid-ul-Azha, nearly five times that volume must be handled within a short period using largely the same manpower and resources.
Over the three-day operation, around 13,453 workers, including DSCC staff and personnel from the Primary Collection Service Provider (PCSP), were deployed. A total of 2,117 vehicles, including 382 special-purpose equipment units, were used in the waste management drive.
The DSCC had designated 357 locations in five wards for animal sacrifice, where 17,315 animals were slaughtered during the three-day period.
Despite the achievement, the administrator acknowledged temporary disruptions and inconveniences caused by the massive volume of waste, indiscriminate dumping of animal remains and hides, severe traffic congestion on the route to the Matuail landfill, particularly in the Jatrabari area, and the removal of waste volumes that exceeded initial projections.
He urged residents to report any remaining waste accumulation through the DSCC central control room, assuring that officials will respond within one hour of receiving a complaint.
Abdus Salam also said waste removal from 11 temporary cattle markets is nearly complete. He alleged that several market leaseholders failed to clear waste within the stipulated timeframe, forcing DSCC to undertake the work itself.
To prevent similar incidents in the future, the DSCC has decided to forfeit the security deposits of the responsible leaseholders and place them on a blacklist. The corporation also plans to significantly increase security deposit requirements for future cattle market leases.
"No one responsible for causing public suffering will be spared, regardless of who they are," he said.