WHY CAN’T WE START BUILDING MULTISTOREY GRAVE SITES LIKE ISRAEL, BRAZIL HAVE DONE, ASKS JERE
WHY can’t we start building multi-storey grave sites like Israel and Brazil have done, wonders Lusaka lawyer and journalist Dickson Jere.
In a Facebook post, Jere expressed shock over the worsening situation at Chingwere Cemetery where new graves are being dug just three feet above old ones, destroying tombstones and risking contamination once rains begin.
“I saw and witnessed at Chingwere Cemetery is heartbreaking. Even though the situation is almost becoming normal, I coud not stomach it. The local authorities manning the cemetery are selling burial graves on top of existing ones. All old graves have been turned into new graves by digging 3 feet on top of the old 6 feet graves. It is chaotic!” he said. “Those who buried in the 1980s at Chingwere Cemetery may not find the graves of their loved ones as they have been desecrated to pave way for new graves. Tombstones have been destroyed. And they continue to be destroyed to pave way for new burial sites. For the past few weeks, I have had funerals back-to-back. Most of them – lost close friends and relatives – in my boyhood Matero neighbourhood. As per custom, burial for such is almost mandatory as part of the final sendoff. Due to proximity, financial and logistical challenges the only burial site option is Old Chingwere Cemetery. Most families cannot afford Memorial Park or Mutumbi coupled with transport costs.”
He warned that the shallow graves could flood and expose bodies, posing serious environmental and health dangers to nearby communities.
“Now, what is scary is the environmental consequences of what is happening at Chingwere Cemetery. I talked about this last year but to no avail. In the next few weeks, we shall start having rains. What this means is that these shallow graves will be flooded and dead bodies washed away. This is very dangerous especially to communities living few metres away,” Jere noted.
He has since urged the Ministry of Local Government and the Lusaka City Council to urgently find a lasting solution to the burial crisis at Chingwere Cemetery.
“I think we need to act. Ministry of Local Government and Lusaka City Council (LCC) should engage urgently and find a lasting solution to the crisis. I do know that LCC has been looking for burial grounds near Lusaka but most of it is now in private hands. And it costs a leg and arm!” Jere said.
He proposed adopting innovative solutions such as multi-storey burial sites or promoting cremation as an alternative.
“I like talking with solutions. That is why I am aspiring for leadership in this country – to do things differently. And I am well travelled and therefore able to learn from other countries on how they resolved such problems. One day, while driving to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in Israel I saw multi-storey buildings along the road. They looked like shopping mall carports. When I enquired I was told that they were burial sites. Each floor with well maintained graves. They import soils to create ‘from soil to soil’ on each floor. I saw the same in Brazil,” Jere said. “So, why can’t we start building multi-storey grave sites like Israel and Brazil have done? We can also encourage cremation even though it is not part of our culture.”
He added that if elected president he would redesign the Presidential Burial Site into a single mausoleum with space for future presidents, emphasising better land use and forward planning.
“When I become President, I will change the concept of the Presidential Embassy Burial Site. I will destroy those ‘houses’ and only build one mausoleum. Then create over 1,000 graves for all Zambia Presidents. That space is big but we have not used space properly. We always plan for the future! It was a grave mistake to have huge land for one President,” said Jere.
The Magnet Newspaper
