As Eid-ul-Adha draws near, the capital is already seeing numerous cattle markets where citizens can purchase sacrificial animals -- with 19 specific places being allocated in between the two city corporations.
While keeping cattle markets exclusive to certain zones has been one of the more positive steps in ensuring that the roads and highways are kept clear of any clutter, it is equally important that pop-up cattle markets and the practice of sacrificing animals be made to follow certain guidelines when it comes to maintaining hygiene.
Although the Dhaka North and Dhaka South City Corporations have designated slaughtering areas to make sure that people do not slaughter their animals anywhere else, people still overwhelmingly choose to carry out the practice in either public or private property such as parking spaces of apartment buildings, which leads to blood and entrails from the innumerable slaughters which take place each year to litter the streets, clog up drains, and leave city-dwellers with a stench that lasts for days, sometimes even weeks.
Given the already dire state of our sewage systems, it is absolutely crucial that concerned authorities ensure all the health directives are being closely followed, and possible measures are taken in order to ensure that Dhaka is kept clean this Eid.
It is high time that we started treating Eid-ul-Adha with the sanctity that the holy day demands, and prioritized hygiene above convenience -- the selfless spirit of the occasion should instill within us the mentality of sacrifice and righteousness for the betterment of our fellow man.
After all, cleanliness is next to Godliness.
