SINGAPORE – The new Mandai North Crematorium and an ash-scattering garden will open on Aug 15, built in anticipation of more annual deaths with Singapore’s ageing population.
The crematorium will be the country’s fourth such facility, and the second to be overseen by the Government.
Bookings for available cremation slots will be released from Aug 9.
The current sole government-operated crematorium, Mandai Crematorium, handles more than 90 per cent of all cremations in Singapore. The rest are done in two private crematoriums.
There were 26,442 deaths in Singapore in 2024, and this is projected to rise to about 40,000 by 2040, according to the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.
The new Garden of Serenity is Singapore’s second inland ash-scattering facility, following the opening of the first in Choa Chu Kang Cemetery in 2021. The new garden is approximately 750 sq m in size.
The demand for inland ash scattering has risen, with such requests almost tripling from 900 in 2021 to more than 2,300 in 2024, the National Environment Agency (NEA) told The Straits Times in May.
The new crematorium and garden will enable the Government to continue serving the nation’s needs in the years ahead, NEA said in a statement on July 28.
The cost to scatter the ashes at either garden is $320. The garden is open from 9am to 5.30pm daily.
The Garden of Serenity is located right beside the new crematorium to give easy access to those who wish to scatter their loved one’s ashes immediately. A nearby carpark ensures the garden is accessible to those who bring the ashes from home.
At the garden, there are four lanes lined with pebbles for families to scatter the ashes. Trees and hedges are planted in between the lanes to provide privacy for families.
Similar to the Garden of Peace in Choa Chu Kang, religious ceremonies or rites such as the burning of joss sticks, food offerings or playing of music are not allowed within the garden, to maintain a clean and serene environment.
Families and visitors can use a prayer facility beside the garden to conduct simple rites.
Users can apply for ash scattering on NEA’s ePortal, www.eportal.nea.gov.sg
The Mandai North Crematorium has been in the works since 2017, but was completed only in 2024 due to issues with construction. The new facilities span approximately 2.4ha.
The crematorium houses six service halls and 18 cremators. Currently, three service halls are equipped with nine cremators, and the remaining halls will be filled out at a later date.
The new cremation facility has fitted automated guided vehicles to transport coffins from the hearse to the service hall. At the existing crematorium, this is usually done via a trolley that is pushed manually.
A self-help system is in place at the ash collection centre to enable family members to collect their loved one’s ashes with ease.
The Government is studying two sites in Tanah Merah and Mandai for the potential development of a new funeral services and columbarium complex, to meet an expected increase in demand for after-death facilities.
“NEA will continue to plan ahead to ensure sufficient government after-death facilities and services, and to provide these services in a way that allows bereaved families to come together to send off their loved ones with dignity and respect,” the agency said.
- Syarafana Shafeeq is a social affairs journalist at The Straits Times.
Posts
