Faro it already has, finally, its "state-of-the-art" municipal crematorium, an equipment that was "an old aspiration of the Farenses" and which will serve not only the municipality of Faro, but also «the whole Algarve region and even some areas of the Alentejo», believes Rogério Bacalhau, mayor of Faro.
This was a long-needed answer, in a council that has struggling with the lack of space in their cemeteries, but that is only inaugurated about ten years after the process started.
«During the mandate of the engineer Macário, we launched the first competition. The project came from behind and it's been a long time since then. Ten years was the time it took, in administrative and legal terms, to get here», recalled Rogério Bacalhau, speaking to journalists, on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the crematorium, installed in the New Cemetery of Faro.
A little earlier, right after unveiling the plaque alluding to the inauguration of the new crematorium, the mayor of Faro commented on this extension of the process and even joked, saying that "the date that should be here should be around 2010".
"We'll do everything to make up for lost time," promised Paulo Carreira, general director of Servilusa, a company that won the crematorium concession for 30 years and was responsible for the investment of 1,13 million euros needed to build the equipment.
The outburst of the Farense aedile has a reason for being. Because this «was an old aspiration of the county, the Farenses and the region. We had so many administrative problems that Albufeira even managed to build a crematorium before us. All these tendering problems and those linked to the public contracting code, although natural, cause a very great strain both on companies and on the public administration itself».
«Fortunately, today, we are at the end of this chapter and we have excellent equipment, which I am sure will serve the people of Faro and the entire population of the Algarve well. And that's what matters», concluded Rogério Bacalhau.
And what equipment was this that was inaugurated today – and tomorrow it will have three cremations – and what is special about it?
“This is a state-of-the-art crematorium, already with a strong digital component, which brings several advantages. For now, one operator is enough to handle the entire operation», explained Paulo Carreira, who pointed out, even so, that there are two employees hired for this function.
«Afterwards, this is a device that has energy control and allows online monitoring of cremations. It has two combustion chambers and a third area, which allows it to carry out a clean cremation throughout the process, so that emissions are always within legal parameters», added Servilusa's general director.
The crematorium is equipped with two ovens, one for funeral cremations and a pyrolytic oven for burning waste associated with burials, such as flowers and the remains of urns.
Another thing that differentiates this equipment “is the fact that it has a technical area for the circulation of funeral agents and the deceased, separate from the social and family support areas”.
The concern for the deceased's loved ones is, moreover, very evident in the other aspects of the crematorium of Faro.
In addition to the room "for ceremonies or orders for a normal funeral process", there is a "last farewell room, which is a fundamental element of this type of equipment, which allows the closest family to say goodbye and view the process of passing the deceased person from the chapel to the crematorium».
The family can watch the cremation in a small room, separated from the cremation room by a glass, which has a curtain that closes at the end of the ceremony.
This moment is important because “it makes the process more intimate, more transparent and more credible, as happens in the case of graves in the cemetery. It makes the family feel more secure, for being able to follow the entire process until the end», stressed Paulo Carreira.
«We also have a Garden of Memory, where the ashes can be deposited. This is a sacred space, which corresponds to the assumptions defended by the Catholic Church, “he added.
Servilusa's perspective is to carry out, in a first phase, “600 cremations per year. But we can go up to 1200 or even more. In the event that it is necessary, there is the possibility of having extended hours».
The radius of influence of this crematorium, a type of facility that, until a few months ago, when the Albufeira counterpart was inaugurated, did not exist in the region, is the Algarve and part of the Alentejo.
However, this does not mean that the services are sought, only by the Algarve, Farense included, and Alentejo people. Servilusa's general director also anticipates having «many foreign customers, who opt for cremation a lot», considering the proximity to the airport of Faro an advantage, as it makes the process of transferring the ashes more comfortable for families».
On the part of the Chamber of Faro, the satisfaction is due not only to the fact that, at last, it has the long-awaited crematorium, but also because this equipment “comes to help” solve existing problems.
«The old cemetery is full. It has renovations that take four to five years. Here the New Cemetery is also full, although we have, in recent years, built over 500 drawers», framed Rogério Bacalhau.
Although, "at this moment, the situation is more or less controlled", taking into account that, "in a year, we normally have about 400 to 500 funerals a year, if there was a year with more, we could have problems".
"With the crematorium, these problems are minimized and we have everything completely under control", believes the mayor of Faro.
Help us to do the Sul Informação!
Contribute your donation so that we can continue to make your journal!
Click here to support us (Paypal)
Or use our IBAN PT50 0018 0003 38929600020 44
Comments