Gravediggers Struggling to Dig Graves due to The Stench of Fresh Corpses

Because of Coronavirus infections, it is not just the hospitals that are close to capacity, but the cemeteries too. Graveyard workers are struggling to keep up with their workload. To cope with the pressure, the work of digging graves with machines is going on.

Workers who have been digging graves at the cemetery for a long time say they have never seen such a long procession of death. That kind of image can be seen in the cemetery of Rayerbazar in the capital.

28 gravediggers are working in Rayerbazar cemetery. They said they dug graves themselves with a spade before and during the first few months of the coronavirus infection. But when the number of deaths of Covid-19 increases, the pressure increases as well. Now this pressure is much higher.

The first death recorded in the country on March 18 last year due to coronavirus infection. In the beginning, the dead were buried through massive security at the Taltola cemetery in Capital's Khilgaon. However, due to the shortage of space there, the burial of the Covid-19 deceased started at the Rayerbazar cemetery on April 27 last year.

Block No. 8 out of 16 blocks of this cemetery is reserved for those who died due to coronavirus. The journey of this cemetery started in 2016. Since then, many of the remaining 15 blocks have remained vacant, while the number of graves in the 8th block has been increasing exponentially. The face of a loved one is buried in the grave one after the other in the terrible clutches of Coronavirus. At least 150 people are being buried here every month in Corona. This number has increased further in the last few months.

Upon entering the Rayerbazar cemetery, one can see rows and rows of new graves. It looks like a picture of a war-torn country. Many people are joining the death procession every day due to coronavirus infection.

Grave diggers say the death toll has risen manifold due to an increase of the infection of the Coronavirus. With the number of corpses coming every day, they are no longer getting rest by digging graves in the traditional way with shovels and spades. So they started digging graves with machines. There are now 40 to 50 more graves to be dug every day than there used to be.

Grave Digger Mizanur Rahman said, I have been digging graves in this cemetery for a long time. I have never seen so many bodies buried together before. On one side I am digging, on the other side, I see the body being buried. Only Coronavirus patients are being buried here.

Shaikhul Islam, who works at the cemetery, said, "We were given PPE last year for the burial works. But no PPE has been given yet this year. We have to work at the risk of our lives without following the health guidelines properly. '

More than half a hundred coronavirus-infected bodies are being buried every day in other cemeteries in the North and South City Corporations. Apart from this, the body of the non-covid-19 deceased is being buried normally. Bodies are constantly coming to these cemeteries. The gravediggers have never seen so many bodies together before. And they did not have to dig so many graves. According to the media, there are a total of 10 government cemeteries in the two city corporation areas. Among them are Azimpur Cemetery, Jurain Cemetery, Mirpur Shaheed Buddhijibi Cemetery, Banani Cemetery, Khilgaon Cemetery, Rayerbazar Cemetery, Uttara Sector 4 and Sector 12. The number of burials has increased in every cemetery.

The same situation is in the cemeteries of almost every district of the country. There is no vacancy in Kamalnagar cemetery in Satkhira. More than one body is being buried in this graveyard every day. The people concerned said that this situation is due to the Coronavirus infection. The body of dead patients infected with coronavirus is also coming late at night. Besides, dead bodies with symptoms of coronavirus are coming every day.

According to the Satkhira Civil Surgeon's Office, 19 people died of coronavirus and 101 died of coronavirus symptoms while undergoing treatment in Satkhira in the last 26 days of June. In addition, there are reports of more deaths than usual every day outside the official accounts. In this situation, the pressure has increased on the government cemetery. Fresh corpses are coming out while digging up the cemetery. Relatives are worried about where to bury their relatives.

According to the gravediggers of various cemeteries in Tangail, old bones would have come out if graves had been dug earlier. But recently they have noticed that fresh bodies are coming out as soon as they dig the grave. Their idea is that such a situation has arisen due to the high number of deaths in the Coronavirus situation.

They said it was becoming difficult to dig graves because of the stench of the dead body. Sometimes they are even losing their mental balances.