Readers' Forum
The case for burial
Burial is one of the oldest and most commonly used methods of disposal of the dead. It is practiced by many religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism and the Baha’i faith even today. Zoroastrians, however, were advised in their ancient religious scriptures to avoid using the burial system as it "pollutes” the earth.
In the short term, burial certainly pollutes the earth. Various pollutants are observed to ooze out from a dead body. Zoroastrian texts refer to them as naso. Microbial pollution is reported to travel in soil only 10 to 20 feet from a grave, while chemical pollution, if dissolved in ground water, can travel longer distances through loose soil or through crevices in rock formations. The ancient Zoroastrians probably saw this happening and rightly concluded that the earth is being polluted.
However, the long term picture is totally different. The naso items as well as the dead body being mainly organic in nature undergo decomposition by microbes (called "decomposers”). By the action of decomposers, the organic pollutants are ultimately converted into stable inorganic matter. Organic carbon becomes stable inorganic carbonate or is given off to the atmosphere as inorganic carbon dioxide gas. Nitrogen becomes stable nitrate in the soil. Sulphur becomes sulphate; phosphorus becomes phosphate. Thus nature slowly converts organic matter into inorganic, stable end products. Every ecologist understands that this being a natural process, it is slow and a body may still remain only partly decomposed for months in the grave. But decomposition surely occurs as time goes by.
Ultimately, however, each of these end products is a "nutrient” to stimulate new growth provided water and sunshine are available to support what is called "photosynthesis.” Thus, nature in a way benefits from the compost value of the human corpse and re-creates life in the form of grass, plants, trees, etc out of death and decomposition! These become food for animals and humans — and the world goes on! The dead organic matter of the body is, so to speak "processed by nature” to recreate life. Natural decomposition ultimately works for the good of the environment. It does not pollute the earth as the ancient Zoroastrians believed from their short term observations.
There are, however, two other problems associated with burial. Firstly, water pollution can occur, depending on the site. If the site is on high ground or a hillock (like the Doongerwadi in Bombay) it may be all right, or not, depending on the location of drinking water sources nearby. Doongerwadi seems to have been a good site as it has not had any pollution problem over a 250-year period. If a site is water-logged (as in New Orleans, USA) it may also contain mercury, arsenic and formaldehyde from embalmed bodies. Highly refined metals in the form of stents, pacemakers, metal joints, etc which may be present in a corpse would also lie buried in the ground.
Also, useful land is locked up with graves and cannot be used for other purposes by the living. Some countries allow graves to be reused after a certain number of years (some after 75 years, some after two). A Christian burial ground in Bombay charges Rs 50,000 for a permanent burial space. A Zoroastrian burial ground in Poona charges a like amount. The Muslim burial ground in Bombay which deals with a larger population has stopped allotting family graves. As of now, its turnaround time has come to just two years from the earlier 3.5 years. Some countries permit graves to be provided in two layers. Others permit vertical burial to conserve land. Land availability can eventually become a big problem, especially with large populations. There is no place to "rest in peace” after death in a populous country.
The Zoroastrian population being relatively small, such a land problem would not occur even at Doongerwadi. Burial is at times favored as it enables families to mark graves with marble tablets recording for posterity what service the buried person once rendered to the world. The burial system is used extensively by Zoroastrians in India and in many other countries of the world with well laid out burial grounds called aramgahs (as in New Delhi, Nagpur, Madras, etc).
In olden times, to get over the problem of so-called soil pollution, a stone-lined vault was created in which a special dignitary’s body had to be buried and a mausoleum built over it. This was not really necessary as, according to modern ecological science, chemical action renders pollution harmless in course of time, and new life springs up again at the site. Even if vaults are provided to prevent so-called "polluting” the surrounding earth, this can be done in modern times by using concrete lining or stone or brickwork to form vaults at affordable cost and at only a slight increase in land requirement. I hope Bombay will someday have an aramgah.
Prof SOLI JAL ARCEIVALA
solijal@hotmail.com
In the short term, burial certainly pollutes the earth. Various pollutants are observed to ooze out from a dead body. Zoroastrian texts refer to them as naso. Microbial pollution is reported to travel in soil only 10 to 20 feet from a grave, while chemical pollution, if dissolved in ground water, can travel longer distances through loose soil or through crevices in rock formations. The ancient Zoroastrians probably saw this happening and rightly concluded that the earth is being polluted.
However, the long term picture is totally different. The naso items as well as the dead body being mainly organic in nature undergo decomposition by microbes (called "decomposers”). By the action of decomposers, the organic pollutants are ultimately converted into stable inorganic matter. Organic carbon becomes stable inorganic carbonate or is given off to the atmosphere as inorganic carbon dioxide gas. Nitrogen becomes stable nitrate in the soil. Sulphur becomes sulphate; phosphorus becomes phosphate. Thus nature slowly converts organic matter into inorganic, stable end products. Every ecologist understands that this being a natural process, it is slow and a body may still remain only partly decomposed for months in the grave. But decomposition surely occurs as time goes by.
Ultimately, however, each of these end products is a "nutrient” to stimulate new growth provided water and sunshine are available to support what is called "photosynthesis.” Thus, nature in a way benefits from the compost value of the human corpse and re-creates life in the form of grass, plants, trees, etc out of death and decomposition! These become food for animals and humans — and the world goes on! The dead organic matter of the body is, so to speak "processed by nature” to recreate life. Natural decomposition ultimately works for the good of the environment. It does not pollute the earth as the ancient Zoroastrians believed from their short term observations.
There are, however, two other problems associated with burial. Firstly, water pollution can occur, depending on the site. If the site is on high ground or a hillock (like the Doongerwadi in Bombay) it may be all right, or not, depending on the location of drinking water sources nearby. Doongerwadi seems to have been a good site as it has not had any pollution problem over a 250-year period. If a site is water-logged (as in New Orleans, USA) it may also contain mercury, arsenic and formaldehyde from embalmed bodies. Highly refined metals in the form of stents, pacemakers, metal joints, etc which may be present in a corpse would also lie buried in the ground.
Also, useful land is locked up with graves and cannot be used for other purposes by the living. Some countries allow graves to be reused after a certain number of years (some after 75 years, some after two). A Christian burial ground in Bombay charges Rs 50,000 for a permanent burial space. A Zoroastrian burial ground in Poona charges a like amount. The Muslim burial ground in Bombay which deals with a larger population has stopped allotting family graves. As of now, its turnaround time has come to just two years from the earlier 3.5 years. Some countries permit graves to be provided in two layers. Others permit vertical burial to conserve land. Land availability can eventually become a big problem, especially with large populations. There is no place to "rest in peace” after death in a populous country.
The Zoroastrian population being relatively small, such a land problem would not occur even at Doongerwadi. Burial is at times favored as it enables families to mark graves with marble tablets recording for posterity what service the buried person once rendered to the world. The burial system is used extensively by Zoroastrians in India and in many other countries of the world with well laid out burial grounds called aramgahs (as in New Delhi, Nagpur, Madras, etc).
In olden times, to get over the problem of so-called soil pollution, a stone-lined vault was created in which a special dignitary’s body had to be buried and a mausoleum built over it. This was not really necessary as, according to modern ecological science, chemical action renders pollution harmless in course of time, and new life springs up again at the site. Even if vaults are provided to prevent so-called "polluting” the surrounding earth, this can be done in modern times by using concrete lining or stone or brickwork to form vaults at affordable cost and at only a slight increase in land requirement. I hope Bombay will someday have an aramgah.
Prof SOLI JAL ARCEIVALA
solijal@hotmail.com
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