As of September 15, the Pombal Cemetery will no longer receive burials, as in-ground burials will be carried out at the Casal Velho Cemetery.
According to an analysis by the municipality’s mineral deposits inspection committee, the characteristics of the ground do not allow for complete decomposition into soil, as it is “mostly clayey”.
Fluctuations in the water level in the first two metres of depth also cause water to appear inside the graves, even in dry months, leading to contamination of the aquifer.
At the last council meeting, the mayor explained that this was an “environmental and public health issue” and that it had been “ongoing for a very long time.”
Pedro Bembão said he was aware that there may be those among the residents of Pombal who are not satisfied with the measures, however, “a waiting period has been given until September 15, so that the community can absorb the new rules.”
“Temporary burial in a drawer, for decomposition and subsequent transfer to burial in the ground is an immediate solution, however, the optimal solution is to choose a grave in a place like the Casal Velho cemetery, which offers ideal geomorphological conditions,” she summarized.
In September, burial in the ground will not be possible, except for ashes and bones, although temporary burial in a box is possible, for decomposition and subsequent transfer to the ground.
The owners of licensed graves may transfer this waived right to another municipal cemetery.
On the other hand, the Council intends to develop a “plan to reorganize the current extension area of the cemetery, providing new forms of burial appropriate to the characteristics of the site, namely Jardim das Memórias/Columbarium, garden plots without graves, strengthening the stairs and ossuaries”, isolating the spaces between the graves, reorganizing the oldest plots and enhancing the afforestation and landscaping of the space.
The transfer of the funeral home in Igreja do Carmo to the cemetery, after the rehabilitation of the church there, is also part of the possibilities.
During the municipality’s executive meeting, Pedro Bembão said that the municipality had tried to identify another site for a cemetery in the urban perimeter of Pombal, but “there is no other place that meets the necessary conditions for this purpose.”
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