Mumbai to get pet incinerator at Malad after a 5-year wait

Mumbai: After a long wait of five years, the city will finally have a pet incinerator at the cattle and dog pound in Evershine Nagar, Malad West. The incinerator machinery will be operational soon after a delay of six months, according to civic sources.

Currently, only pet dogs will be cremated at the facility as there is no general crematorium for pets in the city. The existing private facilities have long waiting periods.

In 2018, the BMC decided to construct incinerators in Malad, Deonar, and Mahalaxmi, with an estimated cost of around Rs. 17 crore, including the operation and maintenance cost for five years. However, due to litigations and approvals, it took years for the civic authorities to materialise the idea.

Incinerator to operate on piped natural gas (PNG)

"The incinerator, with a capacity of around 500 kg per hour, will operate on piped natural gas (PNG) and will be pollution-free. It will be the BMC's first incinerator for pets. We are working on the fees that will be charged to the pet owners.

The incinerator at Mahalaxmi, with a capacity of 50 kg per hour, will be set up by a private trust. Meanwhile, the installation of the incinerator at Deonar is still in progress, and it will have a capacity to cremate pets of 500 kg per hour," said a civic official.

The city currently has a private animal crematorium at the Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals in Parel. Sunish Subramanian, Secretary of Plant & Animals Welfare Society - Mumbai (PAWS), said, "There are a large number of pet owners in the city. The facility offered by the BMC will be a relief to them, as they otherwise had to bury the carcasses of their pets or pay heavy charges at private crematoriums."