Helemul Alam

Lutfur Rahman, a resident of Shuritola, never thought he would reach such a point in his life where he would have to purchase essentials from a government subsidised OMS truck. But there he was yesterday, standing in a long queue leading up to a truck that came to his area.

Onion prices have shot up dramatically in the country due to panic buying by consumers and price gouging by wholesalers in the immediate aftermath of India’s decision on Monday to suspend onion exports.

Although plying of battery-run rickshaws and rickshaw-vans in the capital is illegal, no one gets surprised when they see these vehicles parked at the corner of a street or moving throughout the alleys in full speed.

For the last one month, Akbar Hossain has been torn between two difficult choices: send his wife and children to the village or reduce the amount of money he sends his elderly parents.

Although the government has permitted reopening of hotels, resorts and amusement parks since August, tour and hotel operators around Dhaka are still struggling to run their businesses due to low number of holidaymakers.

The government has made little progress in relocating hazardous chemical businesses and warehouses from Old Dhaka, leaving the residents in constant fear following the two devastating fire incidents that claimed over 200 lives.

Nine-year-old Faisal Ahmed desired to play football since early childhood, but his family’s financial condition meant he could not pursue his dreams as some others can.

The desire expressed by the two Dhaka city mayors to take over the responsibility of drainage management from Dhaka Wasa in a bid to end the capital’s perennial waterlogging problem has widely been regarded as a popular idea.

Multi-storied buildings in the capital are the most common breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes -- carriers of both dengue and chikungunya viruses -- followed by the buildings under construction.

A disruption due to bad weather in the gas supply in the Liquefied Natural Gas terminal in Moheshkhali has led to a severe gas crisis in the capital over the last week.

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.

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.

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.

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.