Sweden begins search for more cemetery land in case of war – National
funeral associations Sweden They want to get enough land for something they should never do: bury thousands of people in the event of war.
The search reflects the crisis preparedness guidelines of the Swedish Civil Protection Agency (SCA) and the Swedish Armed Forces, in accordance with the recommendations of the national secretariat of the Church of Sweden.
The preparatory guidelines have been given new light by Sweden’s decision to join NATO and tensions with Russia in the Baltic Sea region.
Under the provisions of the Church of Sweden, burial societies, supported by legal clauses of the Swedish Burial Act, are responsible for ensuring that there is enough land available to bury approximately five percent of the population within a parish, if necessary.
The Burial Association of Gothenburg, which operates in Sweden’s second largest city, is currently trying to solve the problem of acquiring at least 40,470 square meters of land to ensure that it can cope with emergency coffin burials for the approximately 30,000 dead in the event of war. This is in addition to another 60,700 square meters of land needed to build cemeteries for regular use in Gothenburg.
“(The recommendations) mean that we need more land for cemeteries, and this is a phenomenon in big cities, and it is a problem in big cities where land resources are scarce and even not always enough to meet the needs of cemeteries. in a time of peace and tranquility,” said Katarina Evenseth, senior consultant at the Gothenburg Funeral Association.
Together with the local municipality, which has a monopoly on land use decisions in Gothenburg, the funeral association has identified a large area suitable for the construction of a large-scale cemetery.
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But a lengthy approval and construction process can take nearly 10 years to complete, creating additional challenges in uncertain times.
Meanwhile, the Swedish Civil Protection Agency (MSB) continues to stress the importance of crisis preparedness and highlights the efforts of the Church of Sweden.
“Already in 2015, the government once again appointed various authorities to deal with civil defense planning, and many organizations started planning, with the Church of Sweden at the forefront of this planning,” said Critical Infrastructure Protection Jan-Olof Olsson at the MSB (CIP). expert.
“Unfortunately, we’re being reminded more and more that war can happen and we just have to be prepared for it,” Olsson said.
Sweden followed a policy of neutrality from the beginning of the 19th century, including during World War II.
But public opinion shifted dramatically after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prompting Sweden and Finland to apply to join the transatlantic alliance, worried about the threat from newly aggressive Russian neighbors across the Baltic Sea.
Sweden and Finland sent updated civilian preparedness guidelines on how to survive war in November. Although the guides do not mention Russia, they are similar to those in Denmark and Norway.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
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