The Nabagraha cremation ground. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Dec. 25: Nabagraha is all set to become the first crematorium in the region to use alternative source of energy to cremate bodies.

The North Eastern Council (NEC) has agreed to part-fund a project to install a gasifier-based crematorium by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). TERI has approached the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) for the remaining funds.

The GMDA sources said they liked the project and would arrange the resources to part-fund the project. The project includes installation of a gasifier with a capacity of burning 80 kg of wood per hour, a burning chamber and an iron shed to keep the gasifier.

Once the fund is available, it will take six months to implement the project including training the operators, TERI sources said.

TERI developed the “energy efficient and eco-friendly” biomass gasifier-based crematorium last year under the supervision of two senior scientists — Sanjay Mande and V.V.. Kishore with funds from non-conventional energy sources.

Apart from saving substantial quantity of wood, the gasifier-based crematorium would help reduce pollution levels, said Debajit Palit, research associate of TERI.

In this technology, wood would be burnt inside a gasifier to produce gas. This gas will be then used to burn the body inside a closed chamber, Palit said. Even the waste fuel produced while burning the woods is recycled in the system as preheated air. So the pollution would be less, he added.

As Nabagraha is located in a residential area, it is important to check the pollution levels at the cremation ground, said local resident Bhaben Goswami. Sometimes even tyres are put to burn the bodies in the traditional system.

Palit said cremating a body using gasifier needs only 70 to 90 minutes against three to four hours in the traditional system. Moreover, it requires around 100 to 150 kg of wood as against 300 to 500 kg in the traditional system. As this technology requires small pieces of chopped wood, it would also not contribute in deforestation, the TERI claimed. “Only the branches of trees will do to produce the gas,” Palit added.

He said the field test conducted by the institute found that the total cost of cremating a body in a gasifier-based crematorium is Rs 250, while it is Rs 800 in diesel based crematorium and Rs 1,000 in electric crematorium. In the traditional crematorium the cost is higher.