New LPG-powered incinerator in crematorium to reduce smoke and pollution.
Walkeshwar-based Banganga crematorium is set to get an eco-friendly addition. Built in 1885, the crematorium will now house a gas-fired incinerator to dispose of mortal remains.
The new facility, donated by the Gas Authority India Limited(GAIL) will run on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and the resulting process promises to be smoke-free. The project also includes an auditorium that will seat 100 and a parking lot to accommodate up to 50 cars. The Rs1.5 cr project was funded by the Rotary Club.
The move to shift to gas was taken by the Bombay Hindu Burning and Burial Grounds Committee. “The gas-fired incinerator has been installed and tested. Services will start from August 15 onwards,” said PA Badheka, president of the committee.
While the traditional method using wood burnt in an open pyre takes nearly three hours to burn the corpse, the new method will take half the time.
About 30 corpses are cremated every month at the crematorium spread over more than an acre of land that houses three traditional wood burning pyres. In a day, the crematorium burns up to 300kg of wood and 10kg of ghee for the disposal of each body. The culminating smoke is an issue that local residents have repeatedly complained about because of its proximity to residential buildings.
The LPG cylinder will utilise just 14kg of gas to dispose each body. “The two-step process ensures complete combustion of the remains. While wooden pyres generate carbon monoxide, the gas-fired incinerator converts the by-products into harmless carbon dioxide,” explains N Srinivas, a member of the project. Other by-products are mixed with water and converted into slurry.
The new method will also ensure that no bad odours thewill be released which is usually the case when using wooden pyres.
The committee is in talks with donors to consider offering the eco-friendly service free of cost to those who opt for it.
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