CAPACITY AT CREMATORIA TO MEET DEMAND

Recently, I attended 2 funeral wakes to pay my last respects when I learnt from the attending family members that the wakes had to be extended by 1 day each because of the lack of capacity at the crematoria. I therefore filed the question to check whether our NEA run crematoria are able to meet the demand. I also took the opportunity to understand what steps are being taken to introduce more environment friendly ways to cremate bodies. In a New Scientist article, it was estimated that each cremation releases about 200 kg of carbon dioxide. Also there is an issue of significant energy needed for the process.

Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether there have been recent occasions of insufficient capacity at NEA’s crematoria to meet demands for cremation; (b) what plans does NEA have to increase capacity at its crematoria to deal with increased demands; and © whether NEA will explore more environmental-friendly ways to cremate bodies with a view to reducing the release of carbon dioxide produced upon cremation and use of energy for the process.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The Mandai Crematorium, which is managed by the National Environment Agency (NEA), has sufficient capacity to meet current demand. NEA has handled intermittent higher demand for cremation by adding additional cremation time slots at Mandai Crematorium. While we add capacity in the near term through operational adjustments, we are constructing a second crematorium in Mandai, which will be operational by 2024, to increase our long-term capacity. NEA performs regular maintenance on its cremators to ensure serviceability and efficiency of the cremation process. We will continue to study new technologies and other means to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.