Businessman Abul Kahar and his wife Probha Akhter, a schoolteacher, used up almost all their savings to build a farm in Netrokana's Dharmapasha.
They had been rearing livestock and poultry at Aznat Dairy Farm, but five cattle and more than 150 chickens died when floods swept through the region this year. The couple is now struggling to maintain the surviving animals as the flooding damaged a large quantity of fodder along with parts of the farm, reports bdnews24.com.
Probha had been hoping to expand the farm and buy their own sacrificial animal with the money raised from selling some of their cows during Eid-ul-Azha. Instead, they are now sharing the responsibility of sacrificing an animal with others.
"The price of the cows that died had gone up to Tk 130,000 a few days ago. We were supposed to sell it during Eid. But that isn't happening anymore.”
“Every year, we would sacrifice one cow by ourselves. But this year, we are doing it with others.”
Bangladesh is observing Eid-ul-Azha on Sunday. The coronavirus pandemic has cast a pall over the festival in recent times, and this year, it's a combination of inflation, floods and a global energy crisis, fuelled by the war in Ukraine.
As a result, many are scaling back their plans for Eid, while the floods submerging the country's north have also taken the shine off the festival for others. Khulna-native Rinku Hasan is among them. Rinku, a furniture trader, usually sacrifices a cow, but this time, he will have to make do with a goat.
“The business climate has been very bad for the last two years due to the pandemic. Just as there were signs of improvement, prices of goods began to surge. However, people's earnings haven't increased,” he said.
"If people have money to spend, they'll buy furniture from me and I'll have a steady source of income. But that's not the case now. Times are tough now so I had to cut back on my spending on a sacrificial animal."
Ahead of Eid, cattle markets have been busier this time as the COVID-19 infection rate is lower than in the last two years. But the government has kept some COVID curbs in place, including masking and physical distancing requirements at Eid congregations, in light of a recent upturn in cases.
Worshippers have also been instructed to perform ablution at home before going to the mosque.
Mosques and fields holding Eid congregations must also provide soaps and hand sanitisers in washrooms to ensure proper hygiene.
In addition, the decorative illuminations that typically mark the festival will also be absent this year as part of an effort to conserve electricity amid the energy crisis.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Bangladesh is expected to slaughter 9.77 million animals this year against a supply of 12.12 million animals.
EID TRAVELS
The opening of the long-awaited Padma Multipurpose Bridge on Jun 25 has alleviated some of the hardships faced by people travelling to the country's southwestern region during the Eid holidays. Gone were the lengthy waits at ferry terminals as the direct road links with Dhaka ensured smoother travels.
Khan Mohammad Maruf, who went to Khulna from the capital to celebrate Eid, said: “After crossing Sayedabad, I reached Khulna in three and a half hours in my car. In years gone by, I'd spend hours waiting for a ferry. The Padma Bridge is an added joy for us this Eid.”
The Padma Bridge authorities collected a record Tk 41.9 million in tolls on Friday, the highest in a day since its opening.
While the massing of night coaches held up traffic at Manikganj's Paturia ferry terminal on Friday morning, the situation improved as the day progressed.
Since its opening, most of the southbound traffic has been passing through the Padma Bridge via the Mawa-Zajira route. As a result, the Paturia-Daulatdia waterway has been relatively pressure-free.
Although the rush of holidaymakers did build somewhat on Thursday, the last working day before the long Eid weekend, the customary scenes of passengers and vehicles jostling to board ferries were conspicuous in their absence.
On Friday, people got off different vehicles to cross the Padma by ferry or launch. River transports filled up within moments of docking at the pier. But the ferries only carried passengers across the river as they outnumbered the vehicles at the terminal.
Northbound traffic also began to build steadily on Friday, leading to hold-ups in pockets of the Dhaka-Tangail highway.
The Bangabandhu Bridge also set a record for daily toll collections, with the authorities bagging Tk 33.47 million until Thursday midnight.
Although the first three days of the Eid journeys went well, the train schedule went haywire on Friday. Several northbound trains were running behind schedule, much to the dismay of holidaymakers.
Passengers heading home by bus from Kalyanpur and Gabtoli also had to endure long waits while paying more than double the usual fare amid the rush.
The terminals were teeming with crowds on Thursday and Friday.
Although the advance bus tickets for Eid had already sold out, hordes of passengers crowded the counters at Kalyanpur and Gabtoli, hoping to catch a ride home. Some even travelled on trucks that were used to transport sacrificial animals.
Travellers heading to the south typically swarm Sadarghat to take a launch on one of 43 routes. And although the Padma Bridge has opened a new pathway, many still prefer using the waterways, considering the costs and ease of travel.
Sadarghat did see large crowds during the weekend, but they paled in comparison to previous years.
The ban on motorcycles from highways also increased the burden on other passenger vehicles during holidays. Many had planned to head home on motorcycles after sending their families back well ahead of the holidays. They were scrambling for other modes of transportation to make it back in time for the festival.