Sweden's funeral associations are seeking to acquire enough land for something they hope they will never have to do: bury thousands of people in the event of war.
The search follows the recommendations of the national secretariat of the Church of Sweden, which reflect the crisis preparedness guidelines of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) and the Swedish Armed Forces.
Readiness guidelines have been given new light following Sweden's decision to join NATO and tensions with Russia in the Baltic Sea region.
According to the provisions of the Church of Sweden, supported by legal paragraphs of the Swedish Burial Act, burial associations are responsible for ensuring the availability of sufficient land to bury approximately five percent of the population within a parish, if was necessary.
The Gothenburg Burial Association, which operates in Sweden's second largest city, is currently trying to meet the challenge of acquiring at least 40,470 square meters of land to ensure it can handle urgent coffin burials of some 30,000 dead in case of war. Added to this are another 60,700 square meters of land necessary for the construction of cemeteries commonly used in Gothenburg.
“The (recommendations) mean that we need more land for cemeteries and this is a phenomenon in big cities, and a problem in big cities, where land resources are scarce to begin with and not always enough to meet the needs of cemeteries. , even in times of calm and peace,” said Katarina Evenseth, senior advisor at the Gothenburg Burial Association.
Together with the local municipality, which has a monopoly on land use decision-making in Gothenburg, the funeral association has identified a large area suitable for building a large cemetery for the intended purpose.
Receive the latest national news
For news affecting Canada and around the world, sign up to receive breaking news alerts directly as it happens.
But a lengthy approval and construction process means it could take around 10 years to complete, posing greater challenges in uncertain times.
Meanwhile, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) continues to highlight the importance of crisis preparedness and highlights the efforts of the Church of Sweden.
“Already in 2015, the government assigned several authorities to begin participating once again in civil defense planning, and many organizations have begun to plan, with the Church of Sweden at the forefront of that planning,” said Jan -Olof Olsson, Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) MSB expert.
“Unfortunately, we are increasingly reminded that war could happen and that we simply need to be prepared for it,” Olsson said.
Sweden followed a policy of neutrality from the beginning of the 19th century, even during World War II.
But public opinion changed dramatically in 2022 after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting Sweden and Finland to apply to join the transatlantic alliance out of concern about the threat from their recently aggressive Russian neighbor across the country. Baltic Sea.
Sweden and Finland sent updated civilian preparedness guides in November with instructions on how to survive the war. The guides are similar to those for Denmark and Norway, although they do not mention Russia by name.
© 2024 The Canadian Press