Cemeteries: Thinking Out-of-the-Box
By Ronald Eglin
The Challenge
According to the Buffalo City Municipality’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP), 2009/10, the city “is rapidly running out of grave sites and is under tremendous strain to develop new sites.” This lack of space for burial is a serious crisis confronting many municipalities around the country.
A study conducted by the Buffalo City Municipality in 2004, noted that there were twenty formal cemeteries in the Buffalo City Municipal area with eighteen of these being within urban areas; nine of these cemeteries were full and one was found unsuitable, leaving only eight cemeteries with space for future burials.
The majority of cemeteries in Buffalo City are technically illegal as that they don’t have the necessary environmental and other approvals. The 2004 study identified 82 informal cemeteries in Buffalo City (mostly in rural areas). Only 36 of these were identified as suitable for further use. None of these informal cemeteries are managed by the municipality.
Not enough new land is being identified for new cemeteries, compounding the problem of the expansion of unmanaged informal cemeteries. In 2004, it was estimated that the southern part of Buffalo City (Mdantsane and East London) would need 87Ha of land for burial between 2008 and 2018. Only 12.1 Ha were available in 2004 for future burial.
As highlighted in recent newspaper articles, formal cemeteries are not being adequately managed and secured. The Buffalo City Municipality has on average only two maintenance workers per cemetery. The residents of Duncan Village have had to intervene and voluntarily clean cemeteries in their area (“Conflict over DV cemetery clean up,” Daily Dispatch, 2 July 2010). Vandalism and muggings are also a problem. Only the Cambridge cemetery has security guards.
The municipality has identified the need for three regional cemeteries, but progress in establishing these cemeteries appears to be very slow. One of these regional cemeteries is in the noise buffer zone of the East London airport. Very little progress has been made in identifying land for possible smaller cemeteries. For example, the 2004 report recommended that land within power line servitudes be explored for its potential to accommodate cemeteries. No such cemeteries have been established.
The 2004 report also recommended that the use of cremations for the disposal of bodies be promoted further. The practice of cremations however has not increased significantly in recent years.
There are many perceptions and cultural traditions that need to be taken into account when finding a solution to this burial challenge. The cremation of bodies is not a common practice in black African culture. Family and friends of the deceased want their loved ones to be buried close to where they stay and they want some form of memorial (or tombstone) to remember the departed.
Possible Solutions
Innovative and out-of-the-box thinking is needed to address this cemetery crisis. A quick scan of possible options reveals the following ideas:
• Cremate more bodies. Ashes can be kept by the family or scattered. Walls of remembrance can provide a lasting memorial.
• Find more land for burial, both in the form of regional and local cemeteries.
• Reduce the size of grave plots and/or the space between grave sites. This includes the increased use of berms where the memorial work is erected on a berm with grass over the graves. This also makes maintenance of the cemetery easier.
• Bury two people on a plot, one on top of the other. Initial bodies are buried at a deeper depth with a subsequent family member buried above this.
• Reuse the grave. Special chemicals can be used that speed up decomposition of bodies so that graves can be reused after only ten years. If decomposition is left to nature, reuse can occur after 30 years. The grave site can, in these instances, be used by family members with tombstones updated appropriately.
• Allow other complimentary land uses like parks and nature reserves within cemetery grounds. See the box on green cemeteries for more on this option. With increasing concern for environmental sustainability, natural burials are likely to be a popular form of burial that creates sacred natural areas that care for and respect our planet; leaving it in a condition that will endure and be used by future generations.
We cannot rely on one of these options alone to solve the entire cemetery problem. We need to work on all, or at least most of the options suggested above, as well as others that may emerge.
One of the main steps that need to be taken is for the municipality, and others in the funeral sector, to implement a comprehensive awareness campaign on all the options, especially cremation. This will include, for example, getting councillors, community leaders and church leaders to understand and support cremation and other options.
It is recommended that the municipality establishes a municipal cemetery committee, which includes a range of interested parties, to address the issue of how to deal with informal (and illegal) cemeteries and to plan for the identification and development of further regional and local cemeteries. The necessary funds and resources must be made available to pay for the various studies required, buy the land, develop the cemeteries and make sure there is sufficient management and maintenance capacity to maintain these cemeteries into the future.
Government, at national or provincial level, needs to conduct research into alternative forms of cemetery ownership and management (e.g. community-owned cemeteries or private cemeteries). Pilot projects that look at various forms of multi-functional land use, such as that proposed for the green cemetery, should also be initiated, tested and reviewed. The economic potential of cemeteries and memorials should also be explored. Memorials are often a huge tourist attraction in their own right (just look at the pyramids of Egypt).
Development control mechanisms should also be tested where, for example, permission for new township establishment is only granted if local cemetery space is provided as part of the new development; or any new large scale development is required, as part of their development approval, to contribute towards a fund that goes towards the development of new regional cemeteries.
The Buffalo City Municipality IDP of 2009/10 states that “a serious education drive needs to be implemented in order to change the cultural beliefs regarding alternative burial methods. A new cemetery environment has still to be established, which would align cemetery design, planning and development with the Buffalo City strategic goals and objectives.”
We urge the Buffalo City Municipality, and other municipalities that face a similar ‘grave’ crisis, to inform the public on what progress they are making in achieving such objectives.
References:
• Buffalo City Municipality Integrated Development Plan, 2009/10, www.buffalocity.gov.za
• Buffalo City Cemetery study: southern region, for Buffalo city Municipality, by Setplan, August 2004.
• Personal communication with Suresh Sivai, Principal interments Officer, Buffalo City Municipality
Natural Burial
A modern natural burial (also called Green Cemetery, Woodland Burial) is an environmentally sustainable alternative to existing funeral practices where the body is returned to the earth to decompose naturally and be recycled into new life. The body is prepared for burial without chemical preservatives and is buried in a simple shroud or biodegradable casket that might be made from locally harvested wood, wicker or even recycled paper, perhaps even decorated with good-bye messages from friends.
A natural burial ground often uses grave markers that don’t intrude on the landscape. These natural markers can include shrubs and trees, an engraved flat stone native to the area or centralised memorial structure set within the emerging forest that provides places for visitors to sit. As in all cemeteries, there are careful records kept of the exact location of each interment, often using modern survey techniques such as GIS (geographic information system).
Planting native trees, shrubs and flowers on or near the grave establishes a living memorial and helps form a protected wildlife preserve. A completed natural burial preserve is a green place with trees, grasses, and wildflowers, which in turn brings birds and other wildlife to the area.
These sacred and natural places leave a legacy of care and respect for our planet.
Irrigation is not used, nor are pesticides and herbicides applied; instead, a natural burial preserve protects and restores nature while establishing a place where family and friends can visit and be at peace.
Cemetery legislation can be established to protect natural burial preserves in perpetuity from future development while the establishment of a conservation area would prevent future owners from altering the original intent for these burial grounds.
Natural burial is a statement of personal values for many people who seek to minimise their impact on the planet. For people who are mindful of the cyclical nature of life, natural burial is a spiritually fulfilling alternative to the conventional funeral.
Taken from: http://www.naturalburial.coop/about-natural-burial/
Printed with permission.
The Challenge
According to the Buffalo City Municipality’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP), 2009/10, the city “is rapidly running out of grave sites and is under tremendous strain to develop new sites.” This lack of space for burial is a serious crisis confronting many municipalities around the country.
A study conducted by the Buffalo City Municipality in 2004, noted that there were twenty formal cemeteries in the Buffalo City Municipal area with eighteen of these being within urban areas; nine of these cemeteries were full and one was found unsuitable, leaving only eight cemeteries with space for future burials.
The majority of cemeteries in Buffalo City are technically illegal as that they don’t have the necessary environmental and other approvals. The 2004 study identified 82 informal cemeteries in Buffalo City (mostly in rural areas). Only 36 of these were identified as suitable for further use. None of these informal cemeteries are managed by the municipality.
Not enough new land is being identified for new cemeteries, compounding the problem of the expansion of unmanaged informal cemeteries. In 2004, it was estimated that the southern part of Buffalo City (Mdantsane and East London) would need 87Ha of land for burial between 2008 and 2018. Only 12.1 Ha were available in 2004 for future burial.
As highlighted in recent newspaper articles, formal cemeteries are not being adequately managed and secured. The Buffalo City Municipality has on average only two maintenance workers per cemetery. The residents of Duncan Village have had to intervene and voluntarily clean cemeteries in their area (“Conflict over DV cemetery clean up,” Daily Dispatch, 2 July 2010). Vandalism and muggings are also a problem. Only the Cambridge cemetery has security guards.
The municipality has identified the need for three regional cemeteries, but progress in establishing these cemeteries appears to be very slow. One of these regional cemeteries is in the noise buffer zone of the East London airport. Very little progress has been made in identifying land for possible smaller cemeteries. For example, the 2004 report recommended that land within power line servitudes be explored for its potential to accommodate cemeteries. No such cemeteries have been established.
The 2004 report also recommended that the use of cremations for the disposal of bodies be promoted further. The practice of cremations however has not increased significantly in recent years.
There are many perceptions and cultural traditions that need to be taken into account when finding a solution to this burial challenge. The cremation of bodies is not a common practice in black African culture. Family and friends of the deceased want their loved ones to be buried close to where they stay and they want some form of memorial (or tombstone) to remember the departed.
Possible Solutions
Innovative and out-of-the-box thinking is needed to address this cemetery crisis. A quick scan of possible options reveals the following ideas:
• Cremate more bodies. Ashes can be kept by the family or scattered. Walls of remembrance can provide a lasting memorial.
• Find more land for burial, both in the form of regional and local cemeteries.
• Reduce the size of grave plots and/or the space between grave sites. This includes the increased use of berms where the memorial work is erected on a berm with grass over the graves. This also makes maintenance of the cemetery easier.
• Bury two people on a plot, one on top of the other. Initial bodies are buried at a deeper depth with a subsequent family member buried above this.
• Reuse the grave. Special chemicals can be used that speed up decomposition of bodies so that graves can be reused after only ten years. If decomposition is left to nature, reuse can occur after 30 years. The grave site can, in these instances, be used by family members with tombstones updated appropriately.
• Allow other complimentary land uses like parks and nature reserves within cemetery grounds. See the box on green cemeteries for more on this option. With increasing concern for environmental sustainability, natural burials are likely to be a popular form of burial that creates sacred natural areas that care for and respect our planet; leaving it in a condition that will endure and be used by future generations.
We cannot rely on one of these options alone to solve the entire cemetery problem. We need to work on all, or at least most of the options suggested above, as well as others that may emerge.
One of the main steps that need to be taken is for the municipality, and others in the funeral sector, to implement a comprehensive awareness campaign on all the options, especially cremation. This will include, for example, getting councillors, community leaders and church leaders to understand and support cremation and other options.
It is recommended that the municipality establishes a municipal cemetery committee, which includes a range of interested parties, to address the issue of how to deal with informal (and illegal) cemeteries and to plan for the identification and development of further regional and local cemeteries. The necessary funds and resources must be made available to pay for the various studies required, buy the land, develop the cemeteries and make sure there is sufficient management and maintenance capacity to maintain these cemeteries into the future.
Government, at national or provincial level, needs to conduct research into alternative forms of cemetery ownership and management (e.g. community-owned cemeteries or private cemeteries). Pilot projects that look at various forms of multi-functional land use, such as that proposed for the green cemetery, should also be initiated, tested and reviewed. The economic potential of cemeteries and memorials should also be explored. Memorials are often a huge tourist attraction in their own right (just look at the pyramids of Egypt).
Development control mechanisms should also be tested where, for example, permission for new township establishment is only granted if local cemetery space is provided as part of the new development; or any new large scale development is required, as part of their development approval, to contribute towards a fund that goes towards the development of new regional cemeteries.
The Buffalo City Municipality IDP of 2009/10 states that “a serious education drive needs to be implemented in order to change the cultural beliefs regarding alternative burial methods. A new cemetery environment has still to be established, which would align cemetery design, planning and development with the Buffalo City strategic goals and objectives.”
We urge the Buffalo City Municipality, and other municipalities that face a similar ‘grave’ crisis, to inform the public on what progress they are making in achieving such objectives.
References:
• Buffalo City Municipality Integrated Development Plan, 2009/10, www.buffalocity.gov.za
• Buffalo City Cemetery study: southern region, for Buffalo city Municipality, by Setplan, August 2004.
• Personal communication with Suresh Sivai, Principal interments Officer, Buffalo City Municipality
Natural Burial
A modern natural burial (also called Green Cemetery, Woodland Burial) is an environmentally sustainable alternative to existing funeral practices where the body is returned to the earth to decompose naturally and be recycled into new life. The body is prepared for burial without chemical preservatives and is buried in a simple shroud or biodegradable casket that might be made from locally harvested wood, wicker or even recycled paper, perhaps even decorated with good-bye messages from friends.
A natural burial ground often uses grave markers that don’t intrude on the landscape. These natural markers can include shrubs and trees, an engraved flat stone native to the area or centralised memorial structure set within the emerging forest that provides places for visitors to sit. As in all cemeteries, there are careful records kept of the exact location of each interment, often using modern survey techniques such as GIS (geographic information system).
Planting native trees, shrubs and flowers on or near the grave establishes a living memorial and helps form a protected wildlife preserve. A completed natural burial preserve is a green place with trees, grasses, and wildflowers, which in turn brings birds and other wildlife to the area.
These sacred and natural places leave a legacy of care and respect for our planet.
Irrigation is not used, nor are pesticides and herbicides applied; instead, a natural burial preserve protects and restores nature while establishing a place where family and friends can visit and be at peace.
Cemetery legislation can be established to protect natural burial preserves in perpetuity from future development while the establishment of a conservation area would prevent future owners from altering the original intent for these burial grounds.
Natural burial is a statement of personal values for many people who seek to minimise their impact on the planet. For people who are mindful of the cyclical nature of life, natural burial is a spiritually fulfilling alternative to the conventional funeral.
Taken from: http://www.naturalburial.coop/about-natural-burial/
Printed with permission.