Over the past two weeks, the staff at the two crematoriums in the city — Thathaneri and Moolakarai — are struggling to handle their work owing to increasing COVID-19 deaths.

According to a Corporation source, only COVID-19 bodies or the ones suspected of COVID-19 are cremated at Thathaneri, which has only one gasifier. The deaths due to normal reasons are all diverted to the adjacent cremation ground, where the bodies are cremated using the traditional method of burning the mortal remains on a pyre of wooden logs.

At the Moolakarai crematorium, known as ‘Anjali’ and maintained by Rotary Club of Madurai MidTown, COVID-19 bodies are cremated for 12 hours from 6 p.m. using the two gasifiers. “Normal cases are attended during the day,” says V. Murugan, manager of the Anjali Trust.

With the increasing number of COVID-19 bodies being brought for cremation, both the crematoriums have started working for 24 hours.

The Corporation source says that in the past six days, around 120 COVID-19 bodies or the ones suspected of COVID-19 were cremated at the Thathaneri gasifier. “Earlier, we used to cremate a maximum of 10 cases a day,” says the source.

With the diversion of normal deaths to the adjacent cremation ground, the staff there say that they have to attend double the cases than usual. “The current scenario is similar to that which prevailed over decades back, when traditional method was the only option available for cremation,” says a caretaker at the cremation ground.

The situation is the same at Moolakarai, which recently handled a record high of 44 cases in a day. “Usually, we attend to around 300 cases each month. But, from July 1 to 9, a total of 257 cases were cremated,” says Mr. Murugan.

To handle the increased workload, the two registrars at the Thananeri crematorium have been working for 24 hours at a stretch on alternate days.

The single gasifier at Thathaneri has been working continuously, says a staff member. “Operations were suspended in the crematorium for a night recently due to overheating. After all it is a machine, and it needs time to cool off,” he says.

Due to shortage of crematoriums, many families also have to wait for a few hours to cremate their loved ones, says Mr. Murugan.

Hence, there is a need to have more crematoriums in the city- at least one in each of the four zones, says V.P. Manikandan, who helps in the last rites of abandoned elders. “This has to be done on a war footing to meet the demands for a city as big as Madurai,” he says.

One crematorium can be set up at the Madurai Corporation’s cremation ground at Pudur, says the Corporation source. “The number of gasifiers can also be increased both at Thathaneri and Moolakarai crematoriums,” the source adds.

Assistant City Health Officer B. Vinodh Raja says that in a week’s time an extra gasifier at Thathaneri will be repaired and become operational. “Based on the need, we will increase the number of crematoriums,” he adds.