Rising population of stray animals adds to sanitation woes in city

Amritsar, April 10

The increasing population of stray animals — cows, dogs and pigs — is not only a major cause of traffic-related problems, including accidents, but also the biggest challenge in the way of maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in the city.

While the safai sewaks of the Municipal Corporation and the private firm hired by the MC regularly pick up scattered garbage and clean the streets, the animal excreta, especially of dogs as their population is the highest among all other stray animals, is a problem for them too.

Dog excreta in parks, streets

Dog excreta can be seen everywhere in the streets and parks. It can also be seen in the market places. The increasing population of stray dogs has given rise to a number of problems but the local administration is still to wake up. —Harwinder Singh, A local resident

“People come out of their homes early in the morning for a little bit of exercise and fresh air. However, all they get to see is animal poop all around,” said a resident Kewal Sharma.

While the local administration has still not woken up to the rising number of stray dogs, one can see plastic bottles containing a blue solution hanging outside most streets in residential areas of the city.

People believe that hanging these blue bottles have an effect on canines which prevents them from relieving themselves. However, this unscientific idea too has not given them any respite.

“The dog excreta can be seen everywhere in the streets and parks. It can also be seen in the market places. The increasing population of stray dogs has given rise to a number of problems but the local administration is still to wake up,” said Harwinder Singh, a local resident.

The residents demanded that there is a need to control the population of stray animals including dogs as their number is increasing with each passing year. While residents with pet dogs also use the streets and roads to take their animals for a walk during which they relieve themselves on the roads, the number of stray dogs roaming in the streets of the city is astonishing.