Grave concerns: As population increases, space to bury the dead is fast shrinking

At the Batla House Qabristan, new graves are dug over old ones due to lack of space (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

At the Batla House Qabristan, new graves are dug over old ones due to lack of space (Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

A qabristan where graves are stacked on top of each other, a cemetery planning to reuse the same spot every five years — as space runs out in the capital, burying the dead is posing some unforeseen challenges. Indian Express looks at the scale of the problem, and the solutions at hand.

Mohammad Rashid does not remember if the graveyard was ever flat. The 30-year-old caretaker has lived within the premises of the Batla House Qabristan his entire life and all he has seen is new graves being dug over old ones, creating small hillocks. “My father was the caretaker here for at least six decades. In my memory, it has always been like this — graves piling on top of one another. At the highest point, there are some 30-40 graves. Now, the only little space left in the graveyard is at the periphery,” says Rashid, who took over after his father died two years ago. He, too, was buried on top of another grave. Now, Rashid and four others take care of the graveyard. Each grave here, including those on the periphery, has been used at least four-five times already, he says. Today, burying someone at the Qabristan costs an average of Rs 5,000.

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Credit: indianexpress.com