More opt for ash-scattering garden as final resting place for loved ones

Some 7,600 sets of ashes scattered there since 2021; second facility set to open soon

- Syarafana Shafeeq

Four years after Singapore opened its first inland ash-scattering garden, more people are choosing it as their loved ones' final resting place.

The number of individuals whose ashes have been scattered on land has risen from about 900 in 2021 to more than 2,300 in 2024, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA).

There were 26,442 deaths in total in Singapore in 2024.

The Garden of Peace at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery has been the scattering site for about 7,600 sets of ashes since its opening in May 2021. NEA provided these numbers in response to queries from The Sunday Times.

A second facility, called Garden of Serenity, is set to open at the new Mandai Crematorium Complex in the third quarter of 2025, said NEA.

These gardens provide another option for managing cremated human remains in land-scarce Singapore. Families can also keep ashes in a niche at a columbarium or at home, or scatter them at sea.