Heavy rains in Dhaka on the occasion of Eid al-Adha led to water-logging across the city, with streets running with bloody waters due to the animal sacrifices made during the festival.
Showers that began on Tuesday morning continued until the evening while citizens continued with their Eid prayers and animal sacrifices.
The rainwater that flooded several areas of the city got mixed with the blood of the sacrificed animals, making it seem like red rivers were flowing along the streets. Citizens have criticised the poor drainage system of the city, and also the corporation's inability to dispose off the animal waste in a proper manner.
The two corporations in Dhaka had designated 1,000 spots – 496 in the north and 504 in the south – for slaughtering animals, the Dhaka Tribune reported. But the public was seen slaughtering animals in front of their homes, parking lots, garages, on the streets and other convenient places from 7.30 a.m. onwards. They slaughtered animals in several areas, like Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Shyamoli, Uttara, Dhanmondi and Niketo, that led to the roads being filled with blood and animal waste.
"Last year the city corporations launched a mass campaign to encourage people to use the designated spots and that caught our eyes. I went to a spot in Mohammadpur last year, but this year, I don't even know where the spots actually are," Tareq Ahmed, a resident of Shyamoli, was quoted by the daily as saying. Many said that the situation was the result of lack of campaigning.
"It's a totally awkward situation! I saw knee-deep water on the street in front of my house when I woke up in the morning. I could not go out. The situation worsened as the blood and waste of slaughtered cattle were carried into the water-clogged streets," Hasan Tarek, a publisher living in Fakirapool who slaughtered livestock in his garage, told Bangladesh News 24.
Khandker Millatul Islam, Dhaka south city corporation's deputy chief waste management official, told the Dhaka Tribune that water logging in the capital has been a consistent problem. "We are still working to solve this issue. We have already ordered Maniknagar Wasa pump to start working, so we are hoping that very soon the water-logging problem will be solved," Islam said.
