We thank Mr Winston Chew Choon Teck for his letter “Keep cemetery grounds well-maintained” (Feb 15), and agree that it is important to have care and respect for the deceased.

The Choa Chu Kang Cemetery spans about 300ha, a huge area equivalent to more than 400 football fields.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) maintains the cemetery grounds regularly, with more frequent cleaning conducted in areas where more human traffic is expected. This includes regular grass-cutting maintenance for common areas of the cemetery.

The next of kin, when paying respect to their loved ones, can also play their part in exercising their responsibility for the general maintenance and upkeep of their loved ones’ burial plots and monuments. 

Working closely with service providers, NEA ensures that cleaning frequency is increased during special festivals at the respective cemetery areas where large crowds are expected.

In operating the Choa Chu Kang Cemetery, NEA does not plan for exhumations on an ad-hoc basis. This is done progressively in phases when the land is due for cemetery development, and after the graves in each phase have collectively reached the maximum burial period of 15 years.

NEA will attempt to reach out to the next of kin of all affected graves in that phase. Depending on one’s religious requirements, the exhumed remains may be cremated or be re-interred individually by the next of kin’s contractor or collectively by NEA’s appointed contractor.

We thank the writer for his feedback. With individual and collective ownership, we can keep our cemetery grounds clean and well-maintained.

Pun Wui-Mei
Director
Memorial Facilities and Planning Division
National Environment Agency