Amid the heatwave, Delhi's Nigam Bodh Ghat is witnessing the highest number of cremations since the Kovind era

Due to the deadly heat wave in Delhi that has claimed scores of lives, crematoriums across the capital have seen a surge in the number of bodies. For instance, the city's Nigam Bodh Ghat crematorium has cremated 142 bodies this season, the highest number since the Kovid-19 pandemic, when a record 253 bodies were cremated.

On an average, 60 bodies are cremated daily at Nigam Bodh Ghat. During winter, the number of bodies fluctuates between 60 and 90. However, on June 19, 142 bodies were cremated, the highest number in a single day.

According to officials, in the past few days, the crematorium has been receiving between 70 and 90 bodies in one day. For example, 43 bodies were cremated on June 14, 53 on June 15, 70 on June 16 and 54 on June 17. Those numbers then rose to 97 on June 18 and 142 on June 19.

"It has never happened before that the number of deaths reached 90 in summer, though it is a common phenomenon in winter. The intense heat has not only surpassed last winter's figures but also created problems in the cremation process," said Suman Gupta, in charge of Nigam Bodh Ghat.

The crematorium has enough platforms for cremation, but different communities have different funeral rites, so the simultaneous cremation of 142 bodies has become a major challenge. The crematorium has 120 platforms and six CNG machines.

A total of 1,101 bodies have been cremated at the Nigam Bodh Ghat till June 19 and during this month, the figure may surpass the 1,570 bodies achieved in June 2022.

The crematorium cremated 1,319 bodies in June 2023 and 1,210 in June 2021.