Measures taken for Eid al-Adha holiday

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Thousands of animals will be sacrificed during the Eid al-Adha. Ministry of Health has taken measures to deal with injuries sustained by ‘amateur butchers.’ DHA photo

As Turkey today welcomes Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, officials are warning “amateur butchers” against injuries, as well as holidaymakers against accidents due to heavy traffic.

Official Turkish police data on traffic accidents show that the traffic accidents increase during feast holidays due to vehicle density on the roads. Some 2,343 traffic accidents took place during the Feast of Sacrifice holiday last year, despite all the measures taken. Some 107 people lost their lives in these accidents and 4,838 people were injured. The police are taking stricter measures this year, establishing control points on major highways for speed control.

 The Ministry of Health has also announced a series of measures to counter the rising numbers of injuries experienced during Eid al-Adha due to “amateurish butchers.” The ministry has requested that both public and private hospitals reorganize the work load of their emergency services, and that the number of employees increases to deal with the expected increase in emergency services over the holiday period.

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has taken a series of measures to ensure public ease during the holiday. Public transportation is being provided at a 50 percent discount over the course of the four days, while the municipality is also increasing the frequency of bus trips to cope with the increased demand. Rail transportation, both underground and overground, will be less frequent in the mornings and more frequent in the afternoons.

In addition, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s veterinary service is putting special units on duty in order to catch livestock escaping from slaughter. A total of 10 units formed of three people each will be actively working on call on both the European and Asian sides of the city. The units will each carry sedative injections that can be shot from a distance, in order to catch escaped animals without hurting them.

No water shortages are expected in Istanbul during Eid al-Adha, and an increased number of teams will be on duty to solve blockage issues.