Jakarta to phase out 515 public cemeteries

Jakarta to phase out 515 public cemeteries

JAKARTA (JP): The municipal administration will phase out 515 public cemeteries covering a total area of 92 hectares because they are no longer in line with city planning.

H.S. Zainuddin, head of the City Cemetery Office, said that 510 of the 515 cemeteries to be phased out are used for the burial of Moslems, while four other are for Christians and one for Hindus and Buddhists.

"In order to offset the lack of cemetery spaces we will propose that the administration ask developers building housing estates to set aside part of the land for the development of cemeteries," Zainuddin said.

He did not give the precise locations of the 515 cemeteries to phased out.

He explained that the city administration is currently managing 104 large-scale cemeteries covering a total area of 556.14 hectares.

Jakarta is projected to require 16 additional hectares for burial purposes per year, so that by the year 2005, 700 hectares will be needed for city cemeteries.

The death rate in the city reaches an average of 80 per day. Because each grave requires 3.75 square meters, the city needs 300 square meters of land daily for that purpose.

Zainuddin also said that Regional Regulation No. 5/1992, stipulating the standard size of graves as 1.5 x 2.5 square meters, and the prohibition of cement structures will be applied to cemeteries throughout the whole city.

The regulation, which requires that a grave should be covered only with grass and a plaque, has been applied at Pondok Kopi cemetery in East Jakarta. It will be introduced at other cemeteries as well, including Petamburan and Cipinang Besar.

Existing concrete structures at cemeteries will be demolished and replaced with the grass to them more like parks.

"The city will maintain only the cemeteries which have historical value like Karet Bivak in Central Jakarta," he said. (hhr)