A lot of new urban areas and cities have arisen which comprise the most modern facilities that serve the modern life. However, it seems that urban development programmers do not pay much attention to the designing of cemeteries, to ensure that they can both useful and safe to the environment.

Cemeteries – the “dead points” in urban programming

A survey on the use and management of urban cemeteries in 15 urban areas, including Hanoi and HCM City has been made, which shows the big problems in the urban development programming.

Nguyen Nhu Khue, Architect from the Ministry of Construction, has noted that the majority of the urban development projects just simply name the names, show the locations and the area of the existing people’s cemeteries; while none of the project mentions the burial technology and the possible impacts on the environment.

Khue also said that most of the projects just show the most basic characteristics of cemeteries, such as the places, the area, and suggest the burial technology (incineration), while they do not give explanations about the decisions, or give figures to clarify the issues, such as the distance from the cemeteries to the nearest residential quarters and the technical infrastructure of the cemeteries.

Regarding the land fund for cemeteries, the statistics show that 80 percent of cemeteries are the ones of wards, communes, or villages which are not put under the management of local authorities.

The surveys on the environmental quality conducted at some urban cemeteries and nearby residential quarters in the cities of Hanoi, Hue, Viet Tri, My Tho, Thu Dau Mot, and Sam Son--to find out the parameters about surface water and underground water show that the pH always shows acidity, while the coliform content is always 20-3667 times higher than the allowed level, the BOD5 and COD of surface and underground water is always 2-15 times higher, and NO3 2-100 times higher than the Vietnamese standards.

Experts have also pointed out the problems in the locations of cemeteries. Four out of the 15 surveyed urban areas have the people’s cemeteries located among residential quarters (Hanoi, HCM City, Buon Ma Thuot and Krong Pac). Especially, all the surveyed cemeteries do not have rain water drainage system, and do not have the systems for collecting and treating absorbed water. A lot of cemeteries have been found as having no supporting works such as fence, parking area or water supply system.

Turning cemeteries into parks, why not?

A lot of new ideas of designing cemeteries have been put forward, which can meet the requirements on saving land, fitting the ecological conditions and social conditions.

In Vietnam, the solution of “cemetery park” has been mentioned recently. Especially, experts have also suggested the solution of storing ashes in pagodas, which allows to save the land area and fit the spiritual conception of oriental people.

Architect Kieu Tuan Hung said that in Japan, he can see the cemeteries located between residential quarters, which are small and do not occupy large areas, and most importantly, they do not spoil the landscape and the environment.

In some other countries, there are “vertical cemeteries” which look like high rise buildings in the cities. The cemeteries comprise the concrete made boxes with the drawers for containing ashes. The vertical cemeteries allow to “liberalize” a considerable land area which can be reserved for people’s daily life. Here at the cemeteries, one can see the green color of leaves and feel as if he is in a park.

To date, it seems that urban development programmers have not paid much attention to natural conditions, including wind, climate, underground water or landscape when designing cemeteries and the possible impacts on the environment.

However, this should not be repeated in the future.