Government officials and lawmakers admit that cremation is a very sensitive matter that needs to be treated with care, largely because of its absence in the Rwandan culture.Cremation is the use of high-temperature burning, vaporisation, and oxidation to reduce dead animal bodies, including human ones, to basic chemical compounds, such as gases and dry bone fragments This came about Thursday morning as Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) officials explained to the Chamber of Deputies Committee on Social Affairs, the need for a review of the 2001 law on cemeteries.Cremation is being considered as a way of addressing the issue of scarcity of land for cemeteries.Nonetheless, there appears to be a consensus that incineration is an important option that must be kept as an option when considering organisation and functioning of cemeteries.Bringing the new bill for initial scrutiny in the committee, Dr. Alvera Mukabaramba, the Minister of State in charge of Community Development and Social Affairs, told the committee that a lot of publicity on incineration was needed since many Rwandans do not really identify with it.MP Dr Ezéchias Rwabuhihi also observed that incineration would help economise land.“I support it but I don’t know whether that article on incineration concerns us all or if it only concerns Asians. For us, Rwandans, we shall not get used to it quickly,” the former health minister noted.Article 29 of the bill states that for a corpse to be incinerated, permission must be obtained from “the civil status officer” or “the administration of the place” where the dead body is located.Oswald Burasanzwe, a MINALOC legal expert, shed light on the importance of the clause on incineration.Noting that there are now about 342 public cemeteries, countrywide, Burasanzwe said that to date no Rwandan has ever been incinerated yet the law provides for it. He noted that the biggest barrier is culture. “If Rwandans so wished, and requested for it, it is permitted, but we must find ways of educating the population about it.”“People have, for example, started realising the negative impact involved in burying their dead in gardens near their homes because when they sell their land, buyers request that the tomb be relocated before the money is released. Psychologically, this makes people understand the economic implication and leaders should own this matter,” Burasanzwe added noting that leaders have to own such issues and set the right example.Dr Mukabaramba told MPs that the 2001 law is being reviewed in order to harmonise the decentralisation and country’s programmes.The review of the bill on the functioning and organisation of cemeteries will consider things like special cemeteries, such as military and heroes’ cemeteries, and look into powers given to local entities when it comes to creating cemeteries. It also looks to streamline the question of who is best placed to deliver a death certificate.Recently, Gasabo District relocated the main city cemetery in Remera, to Rusororo, as the 17-year old former cemetery occupying an area of over six hectares was full.The Rusororo cemetery occupies 12 hectares, with room for expansion.Research indicates that public cemeteries could be a silent environmental disaster.A World Health Organisation (WHO) report, compiled by Ahmet S. Üçisik and Philip Rushbrook, indicates that decomposing bodies in cemeteries may cause groundwater pollution by increasing the concentration of naturally occurring organic and inorganic substances to a level sufficient to render ground waters unusable.The report says viruses are fixed to soil particles more easily than bacteria and they are not carried into ground waters in large numbers.An alternative to cemeteries, often advanced, is the system of cremation which is common with the Jewish and Asian cultures.Late last year, Agaram Natarajan, the Secretary of the Hindu Community in Rwanda, told The New Times that incineration was environmentally friendly.
