Afford to die? : Rising burial expenditures irk families

Recent wave of inflation leads 35 per cent increase in expenditure

KARACHI:

For people celebrating special occasions like birthdays or weddings, the exorbitant expenditure on the events is worth the memorable moments of joy created, however, for bereaved families mourning the death of a beloved member, spending an arm and a leg only for tearfully bidding farewell to their loved one, is a task requiring unimaginable fortitude.

Where rampant unemployment and immutable inflation have complicated the survival of millions of low-income families across the city, dying too has passed the limit of affordability for many households, as rising costs of the morgue, shroud, grave, ritual meals and post-burial events have aggravated the stress facing grieving families.

“The prices of graves in Shuhada Qabaristan, C-1 Area, Sakhi Hasan, Paposh and Isa Nagri are touching the sky these days. Earlier, a grave used to cost Rs15,000 but now the prices have reached up to Rs35,000,” shared Shoaib, who paid more than Rs20,000, for his father-in-law’s grave, apart from the additional expenditure on the ambulance.

Concurring with Shoaib, both Khurram Malik and Jahanzaib Khan, who lost their fathers recently, highlighted the plight of low-income families, who were tasked with burying their deceased in times of soaring inflation. “For a middle-class family struggling to make ends meet, additional expenditure on funerals is unaffordable,” regretted Malik, who spent a whopping Rs150,000 during the three-day mourning period for his father.

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“Funerals do not only include burial since there are multiple other steps and rituals like the Soyem, which must be performed by the grieving families. The total charges for the rituals, morgue, shroud, bath, food, tent, ambulance for the body, and bus for the guests, exceed our budgets. But we still have to pay for them because not performing the extra rituals would raise many eyebrows among our social circle,” complained Khan, who too spent Rs200,000 for his father’s funeral.

Sajid, a caterer, acknowledged the challenges faced by low-income families when arranging food for the funeral and Soyem rituals. “Due to the high cost of ingredients like meat and spices, a 10kg cauldron of chicken biryani, prepared for a funeral or Soyem, now costs almost Rs31,000 while a similar sized cauldron of veal biryani costs as much as Rs34,000,” revealed Sajid.

According to sources gathered by the Express Tribune, the recent wave of inflation has led to a 35 per cent increase in the expenditure on shrouds, graves, funeral bus fares, tents, refreshments and cutlery, while a 15 per cent increase has been observed in the costs of the mortuary, ritual bath, and burial.

Social leaders like Amir Madani believe that the death of a family member brings multiplied grief for low-income families, who also have to worry about making the necessary funeral arrangements given their limited finances. “While there are some welfare organizations who offer free ambulances for transporting the body, no government institution is willing to bear the burial expenses of a poor person,” rebuked Madani, who felt that an organization should be established at the government level across the country, which provides free of cost burial services to impoverished households after the death of a loved one. Speaking to the Express Tribune on the matter, a spokesperson of the local government said,” We will be taking action against those who take extra money for a grave. The government is making efforts to establish more cemeteries in Karachi.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2023.