Pune: Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is encouraging the use of white coal (briquettes) at crematoriums after people in the neighbourhood complained about thick smoke and pollution.
Following the rise in Covid fatalities, the use of wood to cremate bodies has increased. During the Covid pandemic peak period, PMC used white coal to cremate bodies at Vaikunth crematorium after residents complained about pollution.
Now, the civic body is making efforts to provide residents the option of environmentally friendly white coal along with electrical and gas facilities at crematoriums.
Of the 24 cremation facilities across the city, 10 are electrical and 13 are operating on gas. Three crematoria have both electrical and gas facilities.
Residents in the neighbourhood of Vaikunth crematorium registered complaints of pollution as last rites increased due to spike in Covid cases. Later, PMC cremated 589 Covid bodies in April-May using white coal option and spent around ₹15 lakh.
Public awareness
Shriniwas Kandul, chief of the electrical department, PMC said, “We are planning to introduce white coal option to people to cremate bodies. It is environment friendly and cost effective as compared to traditional wood. We have kept this option open at Vaikunth crematorium and have started public awareness campaigns.”
Kandul said that white coal cannot be made mandatory as people’s sentiments and emotions are involved. “We will use posters and banners which will give information about white coal use and its benefits to the environment. On public demand, we will provide white coal at Vaikunth crematorium through a supplier,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Kandul said that white coal cannot be made mandatory as people’s sentiments and emotions are involved. “We will use posters and banners which will give information about white coal use and its benefits to the environment. On public demand, we will provide white coal at Vaikunth crematorium through a supplier,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Regarding the proposal of corporators Smita Vaste and Saraswati Shendge of Navi peth-Parvati ward to provide white coal at crematoriums, Dr Kalpana Baliwat, PMC assistant medical officer said, “The proposal was sent to health department for opinion and we had given a positive response and mentioned that it is a good environment friendly alternative to traditional firewood.”
Mangesh Dighe, PMC environment officer, said, “It is a good alternative to save trees and protect our environment. But, we cannot make it compulsory as it involves people’s sentiments. Any social change takes time just like when we started electrical and gas facilities at crematoria decades ago.”
Cost and eco-friendly
To cremate a body using traditional firewood, it takes 280 to 300 kilograms of wood. The total cost is around ₹4,500 to ₹5,000 along with transportation. It creates air pollution. However, white coal costs ₹2,500 per body, generates more heat, cremation takes place faster and pollution levels are lower as compared to wood.
White coal
It is biomass briquettes made from agro forestry waste, agriculture waste or biomass such as sugarcane bagasse, forestry gleanings, wood chips and shavings, castor seeds shells, rice husk and paddy straw, coir dust, wheat straw, mustard waste, bajra cobs and groundnut shells. It is gathered and compressed under large pressure into briquettes which is converted into biofuel.