The authorities in Pakistan have imposed a ban on dumping post-sacrificial animal waste near airports as it could risk flight accidents.
According to the reports, in a recent notification issued by the provincial government of Sindh, it has banned the dumping of animal carcasses that are expected to be generated after the sacrifice of animals during the Eid celebrations in Pakistan. The decision has been made to avoid aircraft accidents which may be caused by birds attracted to such animal waste produced during slaughtering.
The province has imposed Section 144 in the areas surrounding airports which will remain in effect for a month. The authorities have anticipated that there would be a large dump of animal carcass near airports after Bakrid celebrations in Pakistan, which may attract birds near the airport and cause risk to flights.
Bird Strikes are considered to be a significant threat to aircraft safety. A bird strike can cause significant damages all aircraft, including jet-engined ones. The jet engines are vulnerable to the loss of thrust which can follow the ingestion of birds into engine air intakes. This has resulted in a number of fatal accidents across the world.
Bird strikes usually happen during the take-off, initial climb, approach and landing phases due to the greater numbers of birds in flight at lower levels. With severe dumping of animal carcasses around airports, it will lead to more numbers of birds at the airport risking aviation safety.
The diktat from the Singh government comes months after Pakistan faced one of the deadliest air crashes in Pakistan’s aviation history after PIA flight PK-8303 travelling from Lahore had crashed near Karachi’s Jinnah international airport. Following the crash, there were demands from several quarters to the aviation department to increase safety to avoid such tragedies.
Chief Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah had earlier directed authorities to allocate specific areas for animal sacrifices ahead of Bakrid. “If animals are slaughtered in streets everywhere, this will lead to the spread of diseases,” he had said asking authorities to establish designated places at the Union Council level.
PIA flight crash
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane crashed near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on May 22, 2020, just minutes before landing.
According to the reports, the PIA flight PK-8303 travelling from Lahore was about to land in Karachi’s Jinnah international airport when it crashed at the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir, Karachi. It was reported that at close to 100 passengers and crew members were inside the aircraft when it went down over a residential area.