Operation clean-up a success for the most part this Eid
Remains collected from homes, deposited at collection points and then in trenches.
KARACHI:
By the end of Sunday, the second day of Eid, the remains of around 756,000 animals were disposed of by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the towns, a little less than last year’s 760,000.
“The count is neck-in-neck when compared to last year’s numbers,” said Shaukat Zaman, the director of municipal services. “We had deputed more resources this year to ensure cleanliness.”
People from different towns, including Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Saddar and Nazimabad, told The Express Tribune that they were satisfied with the cleanup, with a few exceptions.
“There is no specific slaughter time, which is a problem for us because people often take the remains inside their home and throw them out later,” Zaman said.
A last-minute intervention by the government helped avert a sanitation crisis during Eidul Azha, when the entire strength of the city’s force was out picking up carcasses from the streets and roads.
A delay in the salaries of city employees across the 18 towns had jeopardized the entire clean-up operation, which involved the coordination of thousands of staffers. The salary was deposited into the accounts just two days before Eid.
KMC had made special arrangements to transport the remains from outside homes to trenches dug in every town. “Nothing is going to waste. The animal carcass turns into fertiliser, which we use later,” said another official.
In total, 14,000 workers were assigned to the clean-up in addition to hundreds of pick-up trucks, tractors and dumpers. Town administrations were responsible for picking up the remains from lanes and taking them to multiple collection points from where KMC trucks took them for proper disposal outside the city.
Zaman said that KMC had taken some new initiatives this Eid. “We want to do away with the concept of people slaughtering animals in front of their homes and on the roadsides. That’s why special places were designated for collective sacrifices in every town.”
However, not many people took interest in the new system as slaughtering the animal near the homes is convenient, he said. “But we will try to persuade more people next year.”
KMC posted city wardens across storm-water drains to stop people and its own staff from dumping the remains there and clogging them up. “You know how some of our own workers are. Pick-up (vehicle) drivers don’t want to go all the way to the disposal areas and throw the garbage in nullahs. But we didn’t let them do it this time,” Zaman said.
Union leader Zulfiqar Shah who was involved in the clean-up operation in parts of the old city areas spread across the Saddar and Lyari towns said none of the workers reported any harassment.
“Yes, we also heard that extortionists shot dead cows as owners refused to pay them but we didn’t see any proof of that,” he said.
He said scavengers had descended on the collection points where the carcasses were being gathered. “They take the skin from the tail, the bones and whatever fat they find. It’s a yearly ritual for these people. That is how they make a living.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2012.
By the end of Sunday, the second day of Eid, the remains of around 756,000 animals were disposed of by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the towns, a little less than last year’s 760,000.
“The count is neck-in-neck when compared to last year’s numbers,” said Shaukat Zaman, the director of municipal services. “We had deputed more resources this year to ensure cleanliness.”
People from different towns, including Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Saddar and Nazimabad, told The Express Tribune that they were satisfied with the cleanup, with a few exceptions.
“There is no specific slaughter time, which is a problem for us because people often take the remains inside their home and throw them out later,” Zaman said.
A last-minute intervention by the government helped avert a sanitation crisis during Eidul Azha, when the entire strength of the city’s force was out picking up carcasses from the streets and roads.
A delay in the salaries of city employees across the 18 towns had jeopardized the entire clean-up operation, which involved the coordination of thousands of staffers. The salary was deposited into the accounts just two days before Eid.
KMC had made special arrangements to transport the remains from outside homes to trenches dug in every town. “Nothing is going to waste. The animal carcass turns into fertiliser, which we use later,” said another official.
In total, 14,000 workers were assigned to the clean-up in addition to hundreds of pick-up trucks, tractors and dumpers. Town administrations were responsible for picking up the remains from lanes and taking them to multiple collection points from where KMC trucks took them for proper disposal outside the city.
Zaman said that KMC had taken some new initiatives this Eid. “We want to do away with the concept of people slaughtering animals in front of their homes and on the roadsides. That’s why special places were designated for collective sacrifices in every town.”
However, not many people took interest in the new system as slaughtering the animal near the homes is convenient, he said. “But we will try to persuade more people next year.”
KMC posted city wardens across storm-water drains to stop people and its own staff from dumping the remains there and clogging them up. “You know how some of our own workers are. Pick-up (vehicle) drivers don’t want to go all the way to the disposal areas and throw the garbage in nullahs. But we didn’t let them do it this time,” Zaman said.
Union leader Zulfiqar Shah who was involved in the clean-up operation in parts of the old city areas spread across the Saddar and Lyari towns said none of the workers reported any harassment.
“Yes, we also heard that extortionists shot dead cows as owners refused to pay them but we didn’t see any proof of that,” he said.
He said scavengers had descended on the collection points where the carcasses were being gathered. “They take the skin from the tail, the bones and whatever fat they find. It’s a yearly ritual for these people. That is how they make a living.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2012.