Gone with the sun

‘‘It is possible only if society accepts this change in rituals,’’ says Gadhia, of Gadhia Solar Energy Systems Pvt Limited, Valsad, Gujarat. Over the years Gadhia has used solar energy to create a range of applications, among them a solar cooker—the largest in the world—that cooks a meal for 15,000 people at Tirupathi every day.

Now, he’s begun work on the crematorium, beginning his experiments on dead animals. ‘‘While burning bodies can be achieved, we are focusing on how to reduce toxins which are emitted in the air while the corpse is burnt,’’ he says.

Cremations, in fact, have been a cause of some concern to environmental scientists. About 300 kg to 400 kg logs are used to cremate a body and over the years there has been a demand to find other options for cremations that will spare wood.

‘‘The whole issue of finding alternatives to traditional cremations is tricky as more than environmental hazards, the religious sentiments of people are involved. Since ours is one of the few countries that cremates its dead, we alone have to make efforts to find a solution. If society accepts the renewable energy resources as an option, scientists will be more than willing to chip in with their ideas,’’ says Gadhia.

His project to set up the solar energy based crematorium in Gujarat with funding from a Swiss company is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

Hindus are not alone in their search for alternative end-of-life solutions. Parsis, who leave their dead at the fire temples to be consumed by the vultures, already have 18 solar energy based temples in the country which help the bodies dry up quickly.

According to Dr Sunil Dhingra, a fellow with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi, this is a field that requires further work. Under the aegis of the Ministry of Non Conventional Energy Sources, TERI in fact, has developed crematoriums based on energy derived from biomass. Here, instead of using the standard 400 kg wood, energy is generated by channelising the heat produced by burning only 125 kg of wood. ‘‘We have successfully installed two such biomass crematoriums each—at Goa and at Pondicherry last year. But these are being currently used primarily for cremating unclaimed bodies as people are still not prepared to give up their traditional ways of conducting last rites,’’ says Dhingra.

Scientists believe the new methods will not only help the environment but also the poor who are increasingly finding it difficult to cremate their dead. ‘‘The half burnt bodies and sometimes the unburnt bodies that float in the rivers are already a cause of concern. With depleting forest covers and high prices of wood, the poor are already finding it hard to arrange resources for cremation,’’ adds Dhingra.

In an effort to popularise the environment-friendly method of cremation using bio-mass, TERI has tried to rope in local municipal corporations. ‘‘Given the level of pollution around the Taj Mahal we have approached the Agra MC for installing the biomass crematorium there. In addition several districts in Haryana, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh have been approached by TERI for setting up of the biomass crematoriums,’’ says Dhingra.

And this search for an alternative end is now crossing borders. According to Dhingra Nepal too is seeking technical support for biomass crematoriums.