MCG starts using dung cakes for cremations to reduce tree felling

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has started using cow dung cakes for cremations to reduce the use of wood

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has started using cow dung cakes for cremations to reduce the use of wood. Officials said that 20 tonnes of cow dung cakes have been procured for use.

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Ashish Singla, chief medical officer of MCG, said, “We started using cow dung cakes as an alternative to wood on Monday and have procured around 20 tonnes from our gaushalas. This is being done to reduce the pressure on fuelwood so that more trees are not cut. We are still figuring out details of how much is needed for one cremation process, but an alternative is being used.”

At present, the cow dung cakes are being procured from MCG’s cowshed in Carterpuri.

The number of deaths of Covid-19 positive patients has been increasing in the district putting pressure on crematoriums and leading to long waiting hours for performing the last rites. According to the records of the health department, a total of 612 Covid-19 positive patients have died in the district till now with 13 deaths reported on Tuesday.

Puran Yadav, the president of the Carterpuri cowshed, said, “We have deployed two machines at the cowshed for faster production so that these can be used at crematoriums in case of shortage of wood.”

The decision to use cow dung cakes was taken on Monday, after a city-based environmentalist raised the issue of reducing the use of fuelwood after the amendment norms for the lockdown released by the state government on Sunday mentioned that felling of trees will be allowed.

The guidelines mentioned, “Tree felling operations of forest department and Haryana Forest Development Corporation shall remain operational subject to the condition that they will be allowed only to the extent required for meeting fuelwood requirements of municipal corporations and district administrations.”

Meanwhile, officials of the district forest department said they submitted a list of trees that can be used as fuelwood at cremation sites to the forest development corporation last week.

Rajeev Tejyan, divisional forest officer for Gurugram, said, “We have submitted a list of old and dry trees available with the department to the forest development corporation, which is further shared with the district administration. We have a stock of around 100-150 trees available at different forest ranges that can be used. So far, no new trees have been felled in the division and we have not received any requests too.”