In the near future, things are slated to change regarding how the dead will be treated. The REMA director suggests a mass grave for each family and or cremation (burning of dead bodies) all in the name of better environmental practices.
IGIHE has noticed that there is a continuous violation and disregard of better environmental management practices especially when determining cemetery sites and their preservation.
Dr.Rose Mukankomeje, Director General Rwanda Environment Management Authority says, “With the allocation of these grave yards, people in charge should always first consult the environmentalists to make environmental impact assessment so that the area can not affect the surroundings in the long run by having a negative impact”.
According to UN health Experts, during purification of the human corpse, there is a seepage of decay products into percolating water. The seepage contains bacteria, viruses and organic and inorganic chemical decomposition products.
If the cemetery is located in a porous soil type, such as sand or gravel, movement of seepage can be rapid and mix easily with the groundwater beneath the site.
This could conceivably be a cause of local epidemics from waterborne diseases, where the groundwater is used as a water source.
Typical microorganisms known to be responsible for waterborne diseases and present in seepage include micrococcaceae, streptococci, bacillus and entrobacteria.
There is no doubt by nature of Rwanda’s hill topography and weather pattern, most water sources are spring wells, mostly located at foothills. Most of the gravesites are in somewhat sitting on down hills. This makes it unavoidable for runoff water to cause seepages.
The quantity of decay products from buried people and wood, fabrics and plastics used in coffins is directly influenced by the age and number of the human corpses decaying in the cemetery at any one time.
Ideally, coffins should be made of materials that decompose rapidly and do not release persistent chemical by-products into the environment.
Given the need for an increase in the number of burial sites in Rwanda, there is a need to identify more precisely if, or in what way, cemeteries have any harmful impacts on the environment and public health.
One approach would be to establish a set of basic design criteria for the siting and construction of cemeteries.
Careful consideration has to be given to finding the most suitable soil types in which to bury human remains so as to minimize the effect of seepage on the environment and public health.
In cemeteries, human corpses may cause groundwater pollution not because of any specific toxicity they possess, but by increasing the concentrations of naturally occurring organic and inorganic substances to a level sufficient to render groundwaters unusable or unpotable.
No reports have been found about epidemics or widespread disease outbreaks that were unequivocally the result of seepage from cemeteries. However, doubt and concern persist due to the paucity of sufficient and clear scientific data.
However, Dr. Mukankomeje suggests that, “To me I think the better way of burying people in our small nation, let’s adopt the way of deepening the underground and have one mass grave per family.
“Then the process will cover a small portion or adopt other ways like cremation (burning bodies). This can also work out well since it is well applied in other foreign countries”. She suggested.
When contacted, the Gasabo district Mayor Willy Ndizeye said: “In our terms of reference which were made by experts in this section, everything and environmental impact assessment inclusive were considered while allocating our new burial yard and therefore I don’t expect any negative impact on environment.
“There will also be people cleaning the site all the time. It is to be built in a modern way since it’s a survey that was carried out from other developed countries about the construction of burial sites.” The Mayor stressed.
“On the issue of land, yes I understand it takes a big area for the burial sites but still it’s our culture and we have to respect it until we come and see other possible ways like cremation.”
The current policy on the graves; length takes 2.30m, width is 80cm and depth take 1.5m.
Capitholine Musabyeyezu, the President Twifatanye Funerarium Cooperative at Kimironko burial site in Gasabo commonly known as iwabo watwese says: “we felt concerned and developed a proposal and submitted to the district proposing a new policy.
“It involves removing dead bodies from the grave yard after a period of twenty years and remains can be removed and kept in shelves in a small place so that the land can be used for other purposes.”
In order to identify the environmental impacts of cemeteries, information is needed on the survival of bacteria and viruses and the fate of the decay products from human corpses in soils and groundwater.
Both survival and retention are dependent on the type of the soil in which a cemetery is sited, the type of microorganisms present, the prevailing ground temperature and rainfall.
Scientific research indicates that microorganism die-off rates increase approximately two times faster with every 10 °C rise in temperature between 5 °C to 30 °C (4). Consequently, the survival of the microorganisms is prolonged considerably at lower temperatures. Several organisms in the soil are known to survive better in a pH range of 6–7, and die off more quickly under more acidic soil conditions.
Adsorption is the major factor controlling virus retention. Most polioviruses are held in the soil layer. Viruses may move through some soils to the groundwater with the help of rainfall and downward seepage flow.Polioviruses may move considerable distances through sandy forest soils and gravels.
Other soil properties such as particle size, clay content, cation exchange capacity and moisture influence retention, but the relative extent to which they do this requires further research.
Climatic factors such as rainfall also influence retention. They increase the mobilization of bacteria and viruses from tissues retained on soil particles, and facilitate their transportation to groundwater.
