Forty-eight-year-old Ajit Sarkar used to rear cattle at his home. On the evening of 2 September, he suddenly developed a fever. After being taken to a private hospital in the capital, doctors found that his blood platelet count had fallen dangerously. He was later shifted to the intensive care unit but eventually succumbed to the illness.
His wife Kalitara said medical tests detected leptospirosis in him. The disease is caused by bacteria commonly transmitted through contact with the urine or body fluids of infected animals.
The connection between animal handling, slaughtering and infection is not new in Bangladesh.
At least 16 people were diagnosed with anthrax in the northern region following outbreaks linked to infected cattle and meat processing between August and October last year, Dr Sohel Rahman, assistant professor at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), confirmed to TIMES.
According to media reports, the number was higher at 25. Of them, 17 cases were reported in Rangpur and eight in Gaibandha.
The risks extend beyond consumers to livestock handlers, slaughterhouse workers, meat handlers and sellers.
Experts say consumers are also exposed because required safety measures before and after slaughter are often not followed. As a result, people may buy meat without knowing whether the animal was healthy or whether it carried disease risks.
Public health expert Lenin Chowdhury told TIMES, “Eating meat from sick animals carries the risk of various diseases. If an animal is infected with disease-causing organisms, consumers can also become infected. This is why health checks of animals before slaughter are essential.”
He said animals should be slaughtered at designated hygienic facilities, as contamination during slaughter can allow harmful organisms to enter meat. Open slaughtering also allows blood and waste to accumulate, creating conditions that may contribute to infection risks.
Tk81 crore facility lies idle
Two modern slaughterhouses were built in Hazaribagh and Kaptanbazar in the capital to ensure a safe meat supply. Equipped with modern machinery, the facilities were designed to examine animals before slaughter, remove diseased animals and inspect meat afterwards.
The facilities were also planned for scientific management of animal blood and waste. However, they have remained largely unused, leaving the equipment idle.
The slaughterhouses were supposed to have veterinary surgeons examine animals and oversee hygienic processing. The reality in Dhaka, however, remains far from that plan.
Animals are still slaughtered openly on roads or in rooms beside shops in markets and alleys in areas including Badda, Old Dhaka and Mohammadpur.
Traders and residents said veterinary officials are rarely present at such locations to examine whether animals are healthy before slaughter, infected with communicable diseases or suitable for human consumption.
In a room behind a market in Sutrapur, local traders slaughter cattle at least three days a week in the morning. Residents of the area also buy meat from there.
Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Md Abdus Salam said, “Before sale, meat is supposed to be inspected and carry the seal of a health official from the city corporation. But when it is done elsewhere, there is no way to ensure whether the animal was slaughtered properly, whether it was healthy or whether it was infected with any disease.”
Law exists, enforcement lags
Under Section 3(1) of the Animal Slaughter and Meat Quality Control Act, slaughtering animals in open places is prohibited except during family and religious events. The law also requires veterinary doctors to examine animals before slaughter and place an official government seal on carcasses afterwards.
However, such seals are rarely found in meat shops.
An official from the engineering department of Dhaka South City Corporation, seeking anonymity, told TIMES that cattle were slaughtered at the Hazaribagh slaughterhouse on the day it was inaugurated in 2019. But no animals have been slaughtered there since then.
The facility has the capacity to slaughter 30 cattle and 60 goats per hour. Its construction cost was Tk81 crore.
Tea stall owners near the slaughterhouse said animals are occasionally brought there when senior officials visit for inspections, but operations stop again afterwards.
Why the facilities failed
Meat sellers said slaughtering has to be completed early in the morning, but city corporation veterinary doctors are not available at that time. Even when officials visit later, most meat has already been sold.
A TIMES investigation found that failure to lease out the facilities and the absence of a workable operating model were key reasons behind their inactivity. The city corporation is now considering running the slaughterhouses under private management.
The Hazaribagh slaughterhouse was planned to be leased for three years after construction. The initial lease price was set at more than Tk8.56 crore, which was later reduced to slightly over Tk6.16 crore. However, no bidder submitted a tender.
Traders say the current system is cheaper and faster. Many meat sellers slaughter animals in front of their shops, in narrow lanes or beside markets, saving transportation costs, slaughterhouse fees and time.
Urban planner Adil Muhammad Khan told TIMES, “Only through a realistic business model, enforcement of laws, market-based planning and accountability can these projects be implemented effectively.”
