The pain of knowing that bodies are floating in our rivers is beyond words. That people can’t afford to offer a dead person their final dignity. But there’s also the question of conventional cremation, something we’ve had to confront in recent weeks. Several concerns exist. Some are upset about how many trees have been cut, others point out that the air is unbreathable in areas near crematoria. Someone mentioned the plastic materials used to cover the body are specially polluting. Of course, all of this is not a top priority as India fights to save lives. But even if we had many more electric crematoria, it would have been impossible to cope with the numbers at this point. Instead, let us take a lesson for our immediate future.
At the best of times, people shy away from electric crematoria. The fact that it is less polluting, and requires no trees to be sent to their own death doesn’t matter. This must change and we need policy, incentives and a powerful campaign for it.
We also need investment in a more pleasant electric experience as the current process feels brutal.
The virus attacks our lungs first and so does air pollution, albeit much slower. I don’t have much to say about COVID-19 here, but greener cremations are one way ahead. When we keep the air cleaner, and trees intact, we all have a chance of being healthier.
The author is the founder and director Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group