Just Opened For 11 Days, Srengseng Sawah TPU Only Leaves 15 Plots Of COVID-19 Graves

Illustration - An aerial funeral (Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Head of the Zone 15 Executive Unit of the Srengseng Sawah Cemetery, Sutandyo, said that the capacity of the COVID-19 special burial ground in the Srengseng Sawah Public Cemetery (TPU), South Jakarta, leaves 15 plots as of today.

Srengseng Sawah Cemetery began to be used as a burial place for the bodies of COVID-19 on January 12. The grave area has a capacity of 560 plots.

"The current capacity of the graves is 560 plots. Until yesterday afternoon, 530 plots were used, so the remaining 30 graves were yesterday. Today, 15 bodies have been entered and there are 15 remaining plots at 12.00 WIB," Sutandyo said when contacted, Friday, January 22.

Sutandyo said that it was possible that the bodies of COVID-19 would come back this afternoon and make them full 100 percent. Because, usually, in one day the Srengseng Sawah TPU receives 50 bodies in one day.

"If later there are 15 more bodies that enter, that means it is finished (full)," he said.

In fact, the DKI Provincial Government plans to re-dredge the land to increase the capacity of the graves at Srengseng Sawah Cemetery. However, until now Sutandyo has not received further information regarding the expansion of the tomb area.

"Today there will be voluntary work to clean the plants around here. But, I do not know (the cleared land) will be used by the (City Parks and Forestry) Department or not. There has been no decision yet," said Sutandyo.

Given that the Srengseng Sawah TPU is expected to be full today, the funeral for the COVID-19 body will then be buried in another cemetery, namely the Bambu Apus TPU in East Jakarta.

"Moving to another location, in East Jakarta, the Dinas has prepared. At the Bambu Apus TPU," he said.