Situação dos cemitérios públicos de Fortaleza e adequação à Legislação ambiental vigente

Abstract

This study sought to identify, characterize and make a diagnosis of the environmental situation of public cemeteries in the city of Fortaleza, analyzing their suitability to current environmental legislation. The study was motivated by the fact that, despite the cemeteries are potential sources of contamination, there is a great lacked of studies on the cemeteries of Fortaleza. As a methodology, a survey of information was conducted from the relevant government agencies and bibliography, followed by site visits to applying a questionnaire with general characteristics. Through the data, it was started an intense study of the legislation on cemeteries in all areas, in order to draw up the situation of public cemeteries of Fortaleza. Five public cemeteries were identified in the city of Fortaleza, each one located in a different district of the city: Mucuripe, Antônio Bezerra, Parangaba, Messejana and Bom Jardim. After identification, physical and historical features on each of the cemeteries were collected. Information about groundwater, estimative of population and mortality at the Fortaleza Metropolitan Area were also collected, in order to increase indicative parameters for the study. In conclusion, it was observed that in addition to not being suitable to the environmental legislation, public cemeteries of Fortaleza are in awful condition of operating and no longer support the demand of deaths. It was suggested possible alternatives to the current situation in Fortaleza about cemeteries and environment, like mitigating actions for already installed cemeteries and the implementation of new funerary devices as vertical cemeteries, crematoriums and green cemeteries.