As a part of eco-friendly measures, 44 crematoriums in the city will soon be turned into green crematoriums, which will use piped natural gas (PNG) instead of wood and electricity.
As a part of eco-friendly measures, 44 crematoriums in the city will soon be turned into green crematoriums, which will use piped natural gas (PNG) instead of wood and electricity. The PNG crematoriums are proved to be more convenient and cost-effective over conventional wood and electricity-based crematoriums.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has taken a policy decision to replace all crematoriums in the city into PNG crematoriums, as this fuel is cleaner, eco-friendly and cheaper.
According to the civic officials, using wood to burn bodies adds to deforestation. Moreover, smoke emitting from pyres is a big cause of pollution. The residents living in the vicinity of the crematorium have complained that smoke generated due to burning of wood polluted the air and caused respiratory problems. The PNG crematorium will be effective in reducing the air pollution.
In the first phase of this initiative, PNG crematoriums would be started at 12 places. The second and third phase would include PNG crematoriums at nine and 23 places in the city.
“The work of converting crematoriums at Shivaji Park and Sion into natural gas crematoriums is in final stage,” said Dr Padmaja Keskar, executive health officer, BMC.
According to the civic officials, the BMC spends Rs 2000 for every funeral in the electronic crematorium, whereas Rs 1700 is required for funeral by using firewood. However, the use of PNG would cost only Rs 575, bringing the cost drastically down.
There are 71 municipal crematoriums at 54 places in the city, of which some are joint crematoriums. Of them, 46 are Hindu crematoriums, 14 Muslim and 11 Christian crematoriums. In addition to this, 121 crematoriums are run by private trusts in the city. Of them, 20 are Hindu, 56 Muslim, 38 Christian and seven others.
