Dhaka city dwellers are enjoying fresh air and empty streets free from traffic congestion that only comes twice in a year during the two Eid occasions. Most city dwellers left for rural homes last week giving the city a deserted look. This is no doubt a beautiful look as one can see the long city lanes in their real contour and color.
But this is only a short-lived respite as people have already started returning to the city to make it crowded again. But for few days now traffic on roads is few and empty streets are allowing free rides without troubles. There is less dust and noise; air quality is better without roadside digging. Casualties from road accidents are almost non-existent. No big crowd at city bus stoppages.
WHO report said Dhaka is the third highly polluted city in the world after Delhi and Cairo with heavy density of dust particles in the air threatening public health. City dwellers are able to breathe less polluted air during this time of the Eid holidays.
During this Eid what is however noticeable is that the two city corporations were rather prompt to remove animal waste quickly unlike in the past to save the city environment from rot and dirty odors.
There are however complaints from many areas that cleaners have left cleaning half-done or incomplete in those areas. But it is true that the two city corporations have put in place greater efforts to remove the waste within short time and they deserve praise.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sayeed Khokon claimed his cleaners removed 90 percent of waste within 24 hours. Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Panel Mayor Jamal Mostafa said city residents played important role to accelerate cleaning and his part of the city achieved nearly 100 percent success in cleaning. One can disagree with their claims but there is no doubt cleaning was quick and better this time than before. Around 2,01,500 animals were sacrificed in DNCC’s 183 designated spots, he said.
It goes without saying greater awareness of city dwellers contributed more this time to keep their locality clean by quickly washing the blood and depositing the animal waste in plastic bags on roadside for city corporation cleaners. They hastily collected it in their garbage trucks.
What was noticeable is that in addition to supplying plastic bag by local organizations to handle animal waste, it was also supplied to buyers from cattle market with animals as reminder that they use the bags to handle the waste. Young people were also found busy cleaning the slaughtering ground.
People want a clean and beautiful city but a corrupt and poor city management is making it impossible to keep it clean. Only a growing public awareness can change the trend.
