Navi Mumbai: NMMC to do away with firewood for cremations

Officials said briquettes will help eliminate the need for expensive wood during cremations. Representation Pic

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has decided to adopt briquettes - combustible biomass material used as fuel - and do away with firewood for cremations, an environment-friendly move hailed by environmentalists.

B N Kumar, director of the NGO NatConnect Foundation, told mid-day that senior NMMC officials had confirmed to him that briquettes made from tree and sugarcane waste bagasse will help the civic body do away with expensive wood used for cremation.

Praising the idea, the organisation has requested the Prime Minister to champion this idea to ensure its implementation at the national level. "It could solve the stubble-burning menace that causes massive air pollution in the national capital," N Kumar said.

"The Centre should ask northern states to check out this project as briquettes can be made from farm waste," Kumar said in a letter to the PM. Meanwhile, NMMC is looking at setting up its own briquette plants at the Turbhe solid waste management facility or in Belapur at a cost of around 2 crore.

Kumar also told mid-day that NMMC will be starting a pilot project at the Turbhe crematorium with briquettes made in Aurangabad and if the model is found to be successful, the eco-friendly material will be later used at other NMMC crematoria.

"Bagasse is available aplenty in sugarcane-growing areas of the state and a lot of waste is generated in tree cutting and trimming in the city. This will solve two problems, the smoke-generating firewood at crematoria and waste disposal, in one stroke," Kumar said. It is also said that some families have inhibitions about using electric or CNG-fired crematoria and briquettes should be able to address that concern as well.

Rs 2 cr
Cost of proposed briquette plants