Non-Stacked Burials as a Solution to Cemetery Land Scarcity in Jabodetabek

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Non-stacked burials are considered a solution to the scarcity of cemetery land in the Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) region, amid practices of stacking corpses due to limited burial space.

“The Muslim community faces more complex challenges because the burial process must comply with sharia, such as not being stacked, facing the qibla, and being in a designated Muslim area,” said Memorial Advisor Supervisor at Baqi Memorial Park Bogor Timur, Surya Prayoga, in a written statement in Jakarta on Thursday.

According to him, land limitations make it difficult for many families to obtain decent burial spaces.

“When everything is limited, families can only follow the existing conditions. However, many actually want a more decent and sharia-compliant burial process,” he said.

This situation has encouraged the public to seek alternatives in Jakarta’s surrounding areas, one of which is Bogor. The concept of planned memorial park-based burials is starting to be considered as a long-term solution.

Baqi Memorial Park Bogor Timur offers a modern sharia-compliant burial concept with a green and organised environment.

All graves are arranged systematically, not stacked, facing the qibla, and designated for Muslims. Surya stated that the public now needs assurance that the entire burial process has been well prepared.

Burial service costs in the area start at around Rp5 million and cover basic burial needs.

From a legal perspective, the management ensures that the area has obtained several permits, including technical approval from BPN and a letter from the Spatial Planning and Building Agency.

Meanwhile, the Head of the DKI Jakarta Parks and City Forest Agency, Fajar Sauri, considers stacked graves in family plots to be quite effective in addressing land limitations. However, efforts to add cemetery land are still hindered by public rejections.

“The challenge in adding land is frequent public opposition to the presence of cemetery land,” he said.

Currently, Jakarta has 118,348 grave plots. With an average of 100 burials per day, there are 11 public burial grounds estimated to meet needs for the next three years.