In a first of its kind initiative in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has launched a project to replace wooden logs for cremations with eco-friendly briquettes (blocks/ bricks) made out of horticulture and tree waste.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฏ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ, ๐๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ
The project has been set up near the bus depot in the Ghodbunder village area of Kashimira. Besides traditional wood, it offers an alternative to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and electrically operated pyres.
Horticulture waste like branches and axed dead and dangerous trees are collected by the MBMCโs tree authority during periodical trimming and pruning drives in gardens and roadsides.
๐๐ฐ๐ผ-๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐น๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ฃ๐๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐
โThe process involves proper segregation of waste, which is later crushed to powder and compressed under high pressure to churn out eco-friendly cylindrical bricks.โ said city engineer Deepak Khambit. The cost of the project being commissioned by a Pune-based company is pegged at around Rs1 crore and has the capacity to churn nearly five tonnes of waste into bricks per day.
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐
For traditionally cremating a body, nearly 300-350 kg of wood is required for an open pyre. The compressed and uniformly sized eco-friendly bricks are expected to reduce consumption by more than 35%. The civic administration has also planned to install more LPG and piped natural gas (PNG) powered pyres fitted with smoke-nuisance abatement systems to reduce emission of toxic gases.
At present, the twin city has 14 crematoriums run and maintained by the civic administration.
