766 burials in April lowest for KMC graveyards in past six months

With a total of 766 burials during the first 15 days of April at the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) graveyards, this figure of burials is the lowest in the past six months.

Of these burials, 14 are of confirmed COVID-19 patients, but there is no confirmation if any of the remaining 752 burials are of coronavirus patients. KMC Graveyards Department Director Iqbal Pervez told The News that hardly any death due to a road traffic accident has been reported during the current lockdown.

Even killings in muggings and other street crimes have been very low, he said. “Most of these cases are purely on medical grounds, like maybe heart attack or cancer.”

Forty-one graveyards across the city are under the administrative control of the municipal corporation. As many as 13,993 burials have taken place at the KMC’s graveyards since October 2019.

Senior Director Coordination Masood Alam said that there have been 14 burials of coronavirus patients at the KMC’s graveyards so far. “As many as five graveyards have been dedicated for the burial of COVID-19 cases.”

These graveyards are the Muhammad Shah graveyard in North Karachi, the Surjani graveyard, the Mawach Goth graveyard, the Korangi No. 6 graveyard and the Gulshan-e-Zia graveyard in Orangi Town.

The highest number of burials at the KMC’s graveyards in the past six months took place in the month of January (2,849), according to the data released by the municipal body, followed by 2,278 burials in February and 1,978 burials in March.

According to the breakdown of the number of burials at the KMC’s graveyards in the last three months of the previous year, 2,013 people were buried in October, 1,807 in November and 2,302 in December.

Of the total 13,993 burials in the past six and a half months, the highest number of them took place in District Central’s graveyards (7,575), followed by 2,625 in District West, 1,714 in District Malir, 1,329 in District Korangi and 750 in District East.

It is pertinent to mention here that the highest number of COVID-19 cases have been reported in District East, which comprises two major land-owning agencies of the East District Municipal Corporation and the Cantonment Board Faisal.

According to Alam, only four family members are allowed during the burial of the body of a COVID-19 patient. Apart from that, he said, two gravediggers are allowed to be present.

“It is mandatory for everyone present during the burial of a COVID-19 patient to wear a safety suit,” he said, and made the assurance that the safety suits used during the burials are disposed of immediately after the burial.