By CHILA NAMAIKO and DELPHINE ZULU –

THE only two burial sites in Choma have been filled to capacity, forcing residents to bury on top of old graves.
This has sent Choma Municipal Council (CMC) into panic mode with the only option being that of negotiating for land with some commercial farmers to open up a new burial site.
This follows the filling up of the existing Mawaggali and Old Barn cemeteries coupled with unavailable land within the town’s vicinity where a new cemetery could be opened.
The local authority needs about two hectares of land for a new cemetery that will satisfy the growing population of the town.
CMC public relations officer Ramona Phiri told journalists yesterday that the local authority is in need of sufficient land for a new cemetery.
“At the moment, CMC has no land and we are currently looking for land for a new graveyard and also dumpsite for the town,” she said.
Ms Phiri said the situation has left the council with a huge task that would require an audience with surrounding commercial farmers to give out part of their land.
“We are negotiating for land with farmers since most of them have adequate land and we are also engaging traditional leaders to help us,” she said.
The opening of a new cemetery would avoid a situation where people bury their beloved on old existing burial plots.
A check by the Times at Old Barn cemetery found some people building houses near the graveyard while others pass through the cemetery to access their homes.
On the dumpsite, she said the existing one was sufficient but the challenge is that it is close to the upcoming provincial administration block and houses at old Choma airstrip.
As a result of the infrastructural projects under construction, the dump site has become a health hazard especially when the houses are occupied.
Ms Phiri said the predicament had forced the council to look for land to open up another dumpsite which should be located away from offices or residential areas.
Meanwhile, the capital city, is also in the same predicament as land in Lusaka has run out for the establishment of a new public graveyard.
Lusaka City Council spokesperson Mulunda Habeenzu said the local authority had requested the Ministry of Lands to help in securing land for a graveyard.
“What we have done now is to engage the Ministry of Lands to help the Lusaka City Council to find land for a burial site, we are still waiting for a response from our counterparts as this was done recently, they also need time to digest our proposal,” Mr Habeenzu said.
The LCC tried to secure land in Kafue for burial purposes but failed.
Lusaka has Chingwere and Leopards Hill as public cemeteries which are full and mourners have to scrounge for some left over spaces to bury their dead.
Mutumbi and Leopards Hill Memorial Park are commercial sites.