Municipal Corporation bats for eco-friendly crematoriums

The city is all set to switch over to eco-friendly crematoriums.
Representative image of a gas crematorium
Representative image of a gas crematorium

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city is all set to switch over to eco-friendly crematoriums. Under the Corporation’s 2018-2019 People’s Plan, soon the capital will have crematoriums running on LPG. According to the officials, the operation of electrical crematoriums is expensive which is why they have decided to introduce the concept of gas cremation in the city. “Electrical cremation might not be affordable for everyone as it is quite expensive. We are planning to implement it in three places including Thycaud, Kazhakoottam and Kanjirampara,” said V K Prasanth, mayor, Corporation.

The eco-friendly gas crematoriums are cost-effective, pollution free, time-saving and odour-free. “This will solve the problem of hefty electric bills. The gas crematoriums are going to be environment-friendly. In electrical cremation, an uninterrupted power supply is needed to keep the furnace pre-heated to burn the dead body. The affordable gas cremation will encourage people to switch from the traditional firewood method too,” said an assistant executive engineer, Corporation.  

According to the Corporation officials, the budget allocated for the implementation of the eco-friendly gas crematorium is Rs 2 crore 80 lakh. “We have received approval from the Suchitwa mission and Pollution Control Board. At Kazhakoottam, we still need to receive the approval from the railways as well,” the official said. While the cremation of human bodies and the incineration of urban waste has become a major environmental issue, the Corporations eco-friendly initiative will help in resolving the same.

The procedure will take only one hour. According to reports, on an average, a body requires over 400 kg of wood worth which costs Rs 1,000 for cremation. Around 2.40 million tonnes of wood is consumed in cremations annually in our country. The eco-friendly gas crematoriums will cease the felling of trees for wood. While implementing the green crematorium, an ash collecting system will also be set up to collect ash and other remains after the burning process. A visitors launch, lawn and parking slots are some of the facilities included in the project. The gas crematoriums will be introduced in four months.

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