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B’luru crematoriums feel the heat as Covid deaths rise
Bengaluru: As Bengaluru continues to report more than 250 deaths every day for the past week, crematoriums in the city are feeling the heat
Bengaluru: As Bengaluru continues to report more than 250 deaths every day for the past week, crematoriums in the city are feeling the heat. At one such crematorium in Chamarapet, putting “houseful” board outside its gates last week was a sign of the troubles ahead. Bengaluru has seven designated electric crematoriums for Covid-19 fatalities, six electric crematoriums for both Covid and non-Covid deaths, and three open-air crematoriums.
However, as of Thursday, three electric crematoriums were non-functional after their furnaces broke down. The gravity of the situation could be gauged from the fact that the Bengaluru city administration has now converted an unused quarry in Geddanahalli into an open crematorium.
A senior Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) official, who did not wish to be named, said the sustained high number of cases is putting severe pressure on the crematoriums. “Now, we are reporting around 250 Covid deaths per day (over the last week) and one day we reported even more than 300 deaths. Before this, when the city was reporting around 100 deaths per day, the pressure on the furnaces was high. Now they have started to break down due to high number of deaths. If there is no drastic reduction in numbers, it would lead to more breakdowns,” said the official.
He added that Sumanahalli electric crematorium, which is one of the largest facilities in the city for the last rites of Covid-19 victims, was shut for maintenance after the nonstop burning of bodies resulted in equipment damage. After repairs, the crematorium was reopened on Tuesday.
By then, three more crematoriums -- JJR Nagar, Banashankari and Wilson Garden – went for repair. As per BBMP estimates, they would be reopened only by May 20. “The average number of cremations that can be done at the crematoriums was around 10. In the last week of April, we were cremating 20-25 bodies per day. Now, it has gone up to 30 or more per day. When any machine is pushed beyond its limits, it will break down,” said Vinod P, a supervisor at Summanhalli crematorium.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government is looking at creating more open cremation grounds to address the issue. So far, four open crematoriums have been opened in TR Mills, Tavarekere, Guddanahalli and Anekal. A long-unused burial ground in Tavarekere has also been designated for Covid-19 burials, while a granite quarry in Geddanahalli was recently converted into a cremation ground. The new cremation facility at Geddanahalli, about 25 km from the city centre, has been receiving between 30 and 40 bodies from Bengaluru every day, officials said.
According to officials, work at Tavarekere and Geddanahalli crematoriums was briefly halted on Monday and Wednesday due to rains. Following the disruption, hearse vans were diverted to other crematoriums. A temporary roof has now been erected at Tavarekere.
Meanwhile, the BBMP is finding it difficult to open new places for cremations because of the lack of human resources. An official in the BBMP told Hindustan Times that those employed at the newly created open cremation grounds have no prior experience in the job. They perform the duties with the help of some volunteers, he added.
Rajesh, a crematorium worker, said they are already getting 30-35 bodies per day at TR Mills. “Our work starts around 7 am and it goes on till late night, there is no one to take over from us. We can’t even take a break,” he said.
Karnataka’s revenue minister R Ashoka said on Wednesday that a dedicated helpline would be set up to address issues related to the last rites of Covid-19 victims. There have been several complaints about delays at crematoriums and hassles faced by distraught families and volunteers assisting them.
Bengaluru has been recording high number of casualties due to Covid-19 in the past few weeks. On Saturday, Bengaluru reported 285 Covi-19 fatalities, which increased to 374, the highest daily toll in 15 months of the pandemic, on Monday. On Wednesday, 275 deaths were reported in Bengaluru.
