Closing remarks
With updated proposed guidelines
being completed (Water Research
Commission project K5/2449),
improved risk assessment and
prioritisation of suitable land for
the development as cemeteries are
fundamental. Burial is a right, but so
is the right to live in an environment
which is not detrimental to your
h e a l t h o r s a f e t y. F u r t h e r m o r e ,
although not necessarily always the
biggest risk with regards to pollution,
cemeteries should provide a clean,
healthy, publicly accessible area.
University of Pretoria
SRK Consulting Engineers
3
CSIR
4
Vaal University of Technology
*
Corresponding author:
[email protected]
/ [email protected]
1
Risks posed by burial are, however,
not only due to the decomposition
of the body as much a factor of the
corpse itself. Pathogens surviving
in the ground may potentially
result in disease, while arsenate
pentachlorophenol and formaldehyde,
2
Water Sewage & Effluent November/December 2017
Sanitary risks entail
groundwater, surface
water, drinking water,
and any other health or
environmental matters
potentially influenced
by the development as
a cemetery.
used respectively historically and
presently in the embalming process,
are known carcinogens. Varnishes,
sealers, and preservatives used
in the wooden coffins, as well as
ornamental metals used in hinges and
handles composed of Pb, Zn, Cu, and
other elements may also mobilise and
possibly contaminate proximate water
resources (e.g. Jonker & Olivier 2012).
that 0.4–0.6ℓ of leachate are produced
per 1kg body mass, with a leachate
density of 1.23kg/ℓ and comprising 60%
water, 30% salts (N, P, Cl, HCO3, Ca,
Na and compounds of metals such as
Ti, Cr, Cd, Pb, Fe, Mn, and Ni), and 10%
organic substances (e.g. Dent et al.
2003; EA 2004; Fineza et al. 2014; Fiedler
et al. 2012; Jonker & Olivier 2012;
Matos 2001; Silva & Filho 2011; Trick
et al. 1999; Zychowski & Bryndal 2015;
Zychowski 2008).
backfill may also create a depression,
allowing water to collect in the
grave itself.
Excessive irrigation for landscaping
purposes may add an unnecessary
amount of water to the cemetery, all
potentially at risk of pollution from the
corrosion of the coffin and mobilisation
of pathogens and embalming fluids.
Excavation and stability may also be
problematic, as is common in many
areas of South Africa.
Yet, cemeteries are generally
considered low-risk developments
and, although requiring a mandatory
environmental impact assessment
and water use license, do not always
receive the risk assessment required
to ensure environmental sustainability
and socially acceptable development.
Cemeteries also have the possibility
of contaminating soil and water. The
human body is composed mainly
of water (around 74%) with lesser
amounts of carbon and other elements
(Van Haaren 1951; Forbes 1987). After
burial, the human body decomposes in
different stages with inorganic chemical
weathering of remaining bone, teeth,
and cartilage occurring last.
Depending on whether the burial is
within a coffin or in direct contact with
the soil, and on the oxygen available
within the coffin, decomposition rates
may vary drastically. It is estimated
contributor
Old burial grounds often harbour contaminations to ground water, through diffuse pollution.
19