The number of burials and cremations has increased this year in Dhaka.
Compared to the first five months of 2019, in the first five months of this year, 23.45% more burials and cremations took place in the capital city.
And compared to May 2019, 70.22% more people were buried in this year’s May.
During the first five months of last year, 7,441 bodies were buried in Dhaka, which is 9,186 for this year.
The above information was obtained from nine cemeteries and 2 cremation ghats under the Dhaka north and south city corporations.
According to information from the nine graveyards and 2 cremation points in the city, this year, 1,639 bodies were buried in January, 1,292 were buried in February, 1,610 in March, 1,685 in April, and 2,664 bodies were buried or cremated in the month of May.
Concerns authorities said the Covid-19 outbreak could have increased the number of burials. And if, the information given by the government of the deaths due to Covid-19 is accurate, then the deaths of those who were denied treatment for other health complications might have increased.
After analyzing the monthly data, 4.99% more bodies were buried in January this year as compared to January last year, which is 4.08% more for February compared to February 2019, 7.69% more in March of this year than March 2019, and 70.22% more in this year’s May than that of May 2019.
Among the cemeteries, Dhaka North City’s Khilgaon Taltola Graveyard and Rayerbazar Graveyard adjacent to Rayerbazar Bodhobhumi, are allowed to bury people who died from Covid-19 infection.
Though there has been an overall increase in the number of burials this year, the high number of burials took place in May, perhaps largely due to an uptick in Covid-19 deaths.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) official Lutfar Rahman said: “This increase in burial may be due to Covid-19 death cases, and if the government given death numbers are accurate then the increase in deaths might have increased from those patients with other ailments who were denied treatment at various hospitals. Needless to say, they might have lived if given treatment at hospitals.
