Muslim cemeteries face space shortage, pressure mounts on Bada Qabrastan

With higher death rate recorded among the Covid-19 patients in the ongoing second wave, the Muslim cemeteries started to run out of burial space in Mumbai.

Owing to the crisis most of the small cemeteries have either stopped burial of Covid-19 patients or have limited the services for those living within the close range of the cemetery. In this situation, the pressure of burying the bodies is mounting on the Bada Qabarstan in South Mumbai, as this is the only Muslim cemetery in the city which is conducting last rites and burials of those succumbed with covid19 at present.

According to the rules laid out by state and civic authorities, any patient succumbing to Covid-19 is buried by wrapping the body in a PPE. Trustees of the cemeteries have said, usually the graves are reused as a normal body gets decomposed within eighteen months of burial, however since the bodies of Covid patients are wrapped in plastic made PPEs, it takes minimum five years for the body to get decomposed entirely and in the meanwhile, the pit remains unfit for reuse.

"At present all the burial of Covid bodies is happening in our cemetery, bodies are coming not only from all over Mumbai but also from satellite cities like Bhiwandi and Mumbra as well. Most of the smaller graveyards are now afraid that they might run out of pit," said Shoaib Khatib, trustee and chairperson of Jumma Masjid - that manages the Bada Qabarstan.

Khatib said due to the crisis the entire cemetery has been divided into seven parts, two parts have been dedicated for the burial of Covid bodies, four parts have been dedicated for the burial of nonCovid bodies and one part have been dedicated for the unidentified corpses. He said, 1,100 bodies have been buried in the cemetery and four to five new Covid bodies arrive at the cemetery daily.