Despite PMC’s Push For Eco-Friendly Options, Most Pune Residents Still Opt For Wood Pyres For Cremation, Data Reveals
Despite PMC's Push For Eco-Friendly Options, Most Pune Residents Still Opt For Wood Pyres For Cremation, Data Reveals
31 July, 2024
In Pune, there are 10 facilities powered by electricity, 18 that run on gas, one that operates using both gas and electricity, and 112 pyres fueled by wood.
Appears that despite the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) efforts to promote eco-friendly cremation options, the city’s residents prefer wood pyres over electricity or gas-powered ones.
According to data shared by the PMC in the Environment Status Report, out of the average 855 cremations in Pune every month, approximately 373 are conducted on wood pyres. Around 371 cremations take place in electricity-based facilities, and 172 bodies are cremated in gas-powered ones. The report states, “Approximately 43.61 percent of the bodies in the city are cremated in traditional wood-based systems, 36.22 percent in electric crematoriums, and 20.17 percent in gas-run crematoriums.”
Mangesh Dighe from the PMC mentioned that the civic body is taking steps to reduce air pollution from crematoriums by installing eco-friendly air pollution control systems at these facilities.
The official mentioned, “A regular wooden pyre needs 400 kg of wood for one cremation, while the one connected to an air pollution control system only needs 200 kg of wood. The emissions from the pyre linked to the air pollution control system go through a water scrubber that cools the smoke from 700 degrees Celsius to 100 degrees Celsius. The purified smoke is then released through a 30-meter-tall blower, meeting the pollution control board’s standards for smoke quality.”
The officer mentioned that the PMC is the sole municipal corporation in the country to have implemented air pollution control systems on a large scale in numerous crematoriums located throughout the city. “The PMC plans to introduce more eco-friendly crematoriums in the newly added areas,” Dighe stated.
Former PMC Chief Engineer Srinivas Kandul, who oversaw the establishment of eco-friendly cremation facilities in the city, mentioned, “People are gradually shifting towards eco-friendly cremation options, but some still opt for wood pyres to cremate their loved ones. It is important to discourage the use of wood for cremations. I suggested that the PMC should not permit the availability of wood within the crematoriums, but a decision on this matter is pending.”
