Burial of dead bodies in the capital and nearby district Narayanganj has increased in May compared to the previous four months of the year, supposedly owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
Burials in Dhaka increased by a third in that period, whereas those in Narayanganj saw a twofold rise.
The data is based on information collected from nine cemeteries under the two city corporations in Dhaka, and 33 cemeteries and three crematoriums under the Narayanganj City Corporation.
Officials at the cemeteries have suggested that the rise in burials could be attributed to increased deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
In May, the bodies of 2,422 people were buried in the nine cemeteries in Dhaka. The number was 1,521 in April, 1,046 in March, 1,471 in February and 1,524 in January.
The cemetery adjacent to the Rayerbazar Martyred Intellectuals Memorial, which is one of Dhaka’s nine cemeteries included in the report, saw 558 burials in May compared to 162 in January, 146 in February, 158 in March, and 164 in April. Abdul Aziz, a senior member of the cemetery, said that an average of 150-165 bodies were buried in the cemetery during a normal month.
The Khilgaon Taltola cemetery saw 84 burials in May compared to 41 in January, 34 in February, 52 in March, and 34 in April, reported Ferdous, an official at the cemetery.
It may be worth noting that among Dhaka’s nine cemeteries, only the two mentioned above are officially permitted to accept burial of bodies infected by coronavirus.
Concerning the remaining seven cemeteries, although they are not permitted to accept coronavirus-infected dead bodies, the number of burials has gone up in May nonetheless.
Data on burials from Dhaka’s nine cemeteries are summarized in the table below.
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Asked about the reason for the increase in the number of burials in these cemeteries, DSCC official Lutfar Rahman said that the coronavirus pandemic is likely responsible for it.
Narayanganj
Narayanganj has come to be known as a hotspot of coronavirus infection in recent months. Twice as many bodies were buried in the Narayanganj City Corporation area during April and May compared to previous months.
According to the accounts of 33 cemeteries and 3 crematoriums under the control of the City Corporation, the bodies of 1,002 people have been buried in the two months from April 1 to May 30. Abul Hossain, personal assistant to Narayanganj City Mayor Selina Hayat Ivy, confirmed that 250 to 300 bodies are buried in these cemeteries during a normal month.
In the entirety of Bangladesh, coronavirus has thus far caused 74,865 infections and 1,012 deaths.
