Helemul Alam

In some good news for the country, a scientist, who also discovered jute polymer and is behind the invention of “Sonali Bag”, has come up with a method of making biodegradable protective gear in a promising solution to the additional environmental pollution during the coronavirus pandemic.

The government is going to generate 36-megawatt electricity from solid waste collected from Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) areas.

With only a day remaining before Eid-ul-Azha, selling of sacrificial animals is yet to gain momentum at the markets in the capital.

Ignoring suggestions of the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19, 18 cattle markets were set up in the capital with a promise to maintain health guidelines as a preventive measure against the pandemic.

Every year before Eid-ul-Azha, the cattle markets bustle with people; excitement fills the air while haggling commences in full force. The smelly, yet lively haats are the place to be; the animals -- sights to behold.

On September 26, 2007, The Daily Star ran a report with a headline “Living with dirty, stinky wasa water”, highlighting the innumerable sufferings of Dhaka city dwellers.

Though it is a week away from Eid-ul-Azha, trading of sacrificial animals has only begun in the city’s sole permanent cattle market in Gabtoli.

Many parts of Dhaka went under knee-to-waist-deep water after monsoon rainfall in the last two days, once again exposing the dilapidated state of the city’s drainage system.

Fuad Ahasan Chowdhury, a resident of Azimpur, rides to his office on a bicycle. Rather than renting a vehicle or traveling on public transportation,

National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19 on Friday suggested not to set up cattle markets in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur and Chattogram cities as a preventive measure against the pandemic.

This Eid-ul-Azha, those planning to buy sacrificial animals will be able to do so with just a few clicks on their computer or smartphone, as Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) is all set to introduce an online platform for cattle sale in light of the pandemic.

Monirul Alam, a resident of Gendaria, has been suffering from high blood pressure for the last two years.

With Eid-ul-Azha just a month away, cattle farmers are in fear of incurring huge losses during the festival, as they are sensing a sharp drop in the demand for sacrificial animals due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Though the number of dengue cases reported is so far low compared to last year, experts are warning of an outbreak as July to September is the period when cases are likely to peak.

Every day, Rubel Hossain, a staffer at Bangladesh Water Development Board, would get ready and keep on waiting for a bus to reach his Motijheel office from his Keraniganj residence. But the pandemic has changed his lifestyle, maybe for the better, as he started commuting on his bicycle for the last few weeks.

The country may face an acceleration in the already growing number of Covid-19 cases if the government fails to ensure the maintenance of health guidelines in cattle markets across the country ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, public health experts warned.

Almas Bepari, a canteen staff of Bangladesh Bank was living in the capital’s Chittagong road for the past decade, until the pandemic forced his family to shift to Cumilla earlier this month.

When Tariqul Islam, a resident of the capital’s Kathalbagan area, received the copy of his apartment’s electricity bill for March, he was caught off guard.

People busy with Eid shopping at markets and shops in the capital are too reluctant to maintain physical distancing and health guidelines. Such an act is not only putting them at the risk of contracting coronavirus, but also spreading it to others.

For the last three months, Belal Hossain (30) failed to pay his house or shop rent as the salon owner’s livelihood has been seriously hampered since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in the country in March.