A Story from the Field: A Funeral That Had to Happen Before the Pavilion Was Ready

Lung Prasert is sixty-eight and serves as the lay ceremonial leader, or makanayok, at a sub-district temple in Sawaeng Ha, Ang Thong. For more than fifteen years he has helped village families organize funerals. The temple has three sala pavilions used for the nightly funeral chanting, a crematorium at the back, a storeroom for chairs and funeral equipment, a kitchen where food is prepared for guests, and a community cemetery bordering the rice fields.

During the 2026 floods, water from the fields and canals spread across the temple grounds. The lowest of the three pavilions stood in water to about mid-shin. The chair storeroom and the kitchen were submerged for several days. The cemetery became a series of stagnant pools, with long grass and floating debris caught along the edges.

When the water receded, Lung Prasert walked the grounds with the temple committee. Thick, sticky mud covered the pavilion floor. Cushions and table cloths were soaked through. The chair storeroom gave off a powerful musty smell, and spots of mold were appearing on the lower walls. As dusk fell, clouds of mosquitoes rose out of the grass around the cemetery.

The hardest part was that village life does not pause for a flood. Within a single week, two families came to the temple to arrange funerals. "We cannot ask grieving relatives to sit through the chanting in a pavilion that smells musty, being bitten by mosquitoes all night," Lung Prasert said. "But we cannot postpone a funeral either." Many temples in Sawaeng Ha, Wiset Chai Chan and Pho Thong are facing the same situation.

Why Funeral Pavilions and Crematoria Need Particularly Careful Restoration

1. Many people gather in one place at the same time

Each night of funeral chanting brings relatives, neighbors and guests together, often sitting close to one another for hours. If the pavilion still carries germs from floodwater or mold spores in the air, older guests and children are at higher risk of allergies, coughing or asthma flare-ups.

2. The kitchen and food for guests

Funerals in the provinces usually include a meal for guests every night. If the kitchen, sinks and cooking utensils are still contaminated with mud, bacteria such as E. coli may cause diarrhea or food poisoning, which is the last thing any host family wants.

3. Mosquitoes and standing water around the cemetery

Cemeteries and grassy areas around a temple contain many hollows, containers and flower vases where water collects. They are ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, so evening chanting carries a risk of mosquito-borne disease. Walking through wet grass and standing water also carries a risk of leptospirosis.

4. The feelings of the bereaved family

A funeral is the time when a family is at its most fragile. A clean pavilion without a musty smell is a way of honoring both the deceased and their relatives. Restoration therefore has to be quick but never careless, and it must never disturb a ceremony that is already under way.

Common Approaches That Are Not Quite Enough

Temple committees and volunteers work hard after a flood, and the urge to get the pavilion usable again by evening is completely understandable. Some quick methods, however, leave problems behind.

• Hosing off the mud and opening the pavilion immediately. The floor looks clean, but germs and moisture remain under chairs, around table legs and along wall joints, and the musty smell returns as soon as the pavilion is closed up.
• Pouring strong bleach. The sharp smell disturbs chanting and older guests, and bleach can damage terrazzo floors, wood and fabric.
• Burning large amounts of incense or mosquito coils. The smoke repels mosquitoes and masks odor for a while, but it makes guests' eyes sting and causes coughing, and it does nothing about the places where mosquitoes are breeding.
• Reusing wet cushions and cloths. Seat cushions, table cloths and curtains that were soaked and not properly washed and dried become a source of mold and an odor that guests notice immediately.

Cleaning and drying are essential first steps. On their own, though, they do not deal with germs spread across hidden surfaces, odor trapped in closed storerooms, or mosquitoes breeding in the grounds.

The Solution: Disinfection Fogging, Ozone Treatment and Mosquito Control, Carried Out with Respect

World Health Disinfection (WHD) provides a professional disinfection fogging service using CHEMGENE HLD4H, applied with ULV foggers that reach under chairs, around table legs and into the corners of each pavilion. We combine this with our ozone treatment service for rooms that can be closed, such as the chair storeroom, equipment rooms and family rest rooms, and our mosquito spraying service around the temple grounds and cemetery.

The guiding principle in this setting is respect. Our team never approaches or touches any coffin, funeral urn or ceremonial item belonging to a family. We work only in pavilions and rooms that are free of ceremonies, and we coordinate with the abbot, the makanayok and the host family every time. If a funeral is taking place in one pavilion, we leave that pavilion entirely alone until the ceremony is finished.

Our step-by-step process

1. Coordination and survey. We ask the temple's permission, survey each pavilion, the storerooms, kitchen, restrooms, the area around the crematorium and the cemetery, and check the schedule of funerals already booked.
2. Prioritize the free pavilions. We start with pavilions that have no ceremonies so the temple has a ready pavilion for the next funeral as quickly as possible.
3. Remove mud and damaged materials. We advise on washing away mud and sorting cushions, cloths and equipment that need washing or replacing.
4. ULV disinfection fogging. Chemgene HLD4H is fogged across pavilion floors, under chairs, on empty altar tables, in restrooms and in the kitchen, at times when no ceremony is taking place.
5. Ozone treatment of closed rooms. Only rooms that can be closed and are empty, such as the chair and equipment storerooms, are ozone-treated. No people, animals or plants may be inside. Sound equipment should be moved out or covered, and we use a controlled ozone dose.
6. Outdoor mosquito spraying. We spray the temple grounds, long grass and cemetery area at times when no guests or relatives are present.
7. Ventilation and re-check. Pavilions and ozone-treated rooms are aired until ventilation is sufficient, and we check again for odor and mold before the next funeral is accepted.

Advice for Temple Committees and Ceremonial Leaders

Align the funeral schedule with the restoration work. If the temple has several pavilions, use the ones that did not flood, or those already restored, for upcoming funerals, and explain the reasons gently to host families.

Put the kitchen near the top of the list. Wash sinks, drains and every utensil that was submerged, throw away any ingredients or dry food touched by floodwater, and use clean water for cooking meals for guests.

Deal with standing water around the cemetery. Empty flower vases, containers and old tires, cut back overgrown grass to remove places where mosquitoes rest, and make sure caretakers wear rubber boots when walking through areas that are still wet.

Coordinate with families about graves and ash niches. If any damage is found in the cemetery, the temple should contact the families concerned directly and let them decide how repairs should be handled. Our team does not touch graves or ash niches.

Keep the community informed. A short notice at the temple gate, an announcement through the village headman or a message in the community chat group can tell villagers which pavilion is ready, when mosquito spraying will take place and which areas to avoid for a while. Families planning a funeral then know what to expect, and visitors to the cemetery are not caught by surprise. Clear information also reassures people that the temple is looking after their health as well as their traditions during a difficult season.

Places in the Temple Often Overlooked After a Flood

• The chair and folding-table storeroom. Plastic chairs and folding tables stacked tightly together trap a surprising amount of mud. Wash them one by one before fogging.
• Family rest rooms and changing rooms. These often hold spare mattresses, pillows and blankets. If they were soaked, consider replacing them.
• Shared restrooms behind the pavilions. Wastewater often backs up during floods. Wash and disinfect them thoroughly before guests use them.
• Sound systems and fans. Any electrical equipment that was submerged must be checked for safety by an electrician before it is switched on.
• The path from the car park to the pavilions. Dried mud turns to dust and is walked into the pavilions. Wash and disinfect these paths too.

Protecting Temple Helpers, Undertakers and Volunteers

The people who work hardest after the water goes down are the temple helpers, the undertakers and the volunteers who shovel mud, wash pavilions and walk through the still-wet cemetery. They should look after themselves in a few simple ways.

• Wear rubber boots, rubber gloves and a mask whenever moving mud or handling wet materials.
• Avoid wading through standing water with any cut on the feet or legs, and wash feet with soap after work.
• Wash hands thoroughly before eating or drinking.
• Anyone who develops a high fever, muscle pain especially in the calves, or unusual tiredness within a few days of wading through water should see a doctor and mention the flood exposure.

While our team is fogging, running ozone treatment or spraying for mosquitoes, temple helpers should stay outside the work area and only return when we confirm that ventilation is sufficient.

How Our Team Conducts Itself at a Temple During Funerals

Working at a temple while funerals continue requires more than technical skill. Our team follows a few practices so that host families and monks never feel disturbed.

• We wear plain, modest clothing and keep our voices low throughout the grounds.
• We switch off all machinery during chanting and whenever monks are performing rites nearby.
• We never walk through a pavilion where a funeral is being held, even to reach another area; we take another route or wait.
• We do not photograph any ceremony, family or coffin. Photos are taken only of empty areas, and only with the temple's agreement.
• We park vehicles and set down equipment away from the entrance used by mourners.

These small courtesies matter deeply to grieving families. They also help the temple committee feel confident inviting us back for follow-up checks during the weeks after the flood.

A Practical Timeline for Getting Pavilions Ready

First days after the water drains. Check electrical safety, identify which pavilion is least damaged, and use it, or a pavilion that did not flood, for any urgent funeral. Begin removing mud from the kitchen and restrooms first.

End of the first week. Our team fogs the first restored pavilion, its restroom and the kitchen, and ozone-treats the chair storeroom. Mosquito spraying around the grounds takes place at a time when no guests are present.

Second week. Work moves to the remaining pavilions as each becomes free of ceremonies, together with family rest rooms and paths.

Third week and after. A re-check for odor and mold, a second round of mosquito control if needed, and then repairs, painting and replacement of cushions and cloths once everything is dry.

Why Fogging, Ozone and Mosquito Control Each Have a Role

Temple committees sometimes ask whether one service would be enough. In a flooded temple, each of the three does a different job, and together they cover the whole site.

Disinfection fogging with Chemgene HLD4H deals with germs on surfaces. In an open-sided pavilion, where gas cannot be contained, this is the main tool. The fine ULV mist settles on floors, chairs, table legs, restroom walls and kitchen counters, the places that guests touch, sit on and walk across.

Ozone treatment deals with air and odor inside rooms that can be shut. A chair storeroom that has been closed and damp for a week holds a musty smell in its walls, ceiling and stacked equipment that wiping alone will not remove. Ozone spreads through the whole closed space, reaching mold spores in the air and odor trapped in porous surfaces. Because ozone is a strong oxidizer, it is used only when rooms are completely empty, followed by thorough ventilation.

Mosquito spraying deals with the outdoor problem that neither of the other two can solve. Funeral chanting takes place in the evening, exactly when mosquitoes are most active. Reducing adult mosquitoes around the grounds, combined with emptying containers where they breed, makes evening ceremonies far more comfortable and lowers the risk of mosquito-borne illness for guests.

Questions a Temple Committee Can Ask Any Service Provider

Whichever company a temple chooses, these questions help the committee decide with confidence and explain the decision to the community.

• Which disinfectant will you use, and can we see the product information?
• How will you work around funerals that are already scheduled?
• Will your team stay away from coffins, urns, graves and ash niches at all times?
• Which rooms are suitable for ozone, and how long must they be ventilated before use?
• When will you spray for mosquitoes, and how long should visitors stay away afterwards?
• Will you return to check the pavilions and storerooms after the first round of work?

Clear, practical answers show that a provider understands both the technical work and the special sensitivity of a place where families say goodbye to their loved ones.

10 Reasons Temples in Sawaeng Ha Choose WHD for Pavilions and Crematoria

1. We work with respect for the deceased and never touch coffins, urns, graves or ash niches.
2. We coordinate with the funeral schedule and work only in free pavilions, never disturbing a ceremony.
3. We use CHEMGENE HLD4H for high-level disinfection.
4. ULV droplets reach under chairs, around table legs and into hard-to-wipe corners.
5. Ozone treatment removes mustiness from chair storerooms and family rest rooms.
6. Mosquito spraying around the grounds and cemetery reduces bites during evening chanting.
7. Kitchens and restrooms are cleaned and disinfected for the safety of guests.
8. Work is ordered so the temple has a ready pavilion for the next funeral quickly.
9. Clear ozone safety and ventilation steps are followed every time.
10. We share protective advice for temple helpers working in wet areas.

Before and After: Restoring a Funeral Chanting Pavilion

A Word from the Temple's Ceremonial Leader

"The team asked about our funeral schedule first. They did not go near the pavilion where a funeral was being held at all. They finished the empty one first, so we had a clean pavilion ready for the next family in time. In the evenings there were far fewer mosquitoes. Relatives who came to the chanting said it was more comfortable to sit there, without the musty smell we had when the water first went down."

— Lung Prasert, makanayok of a temple in Sawaeng Ha (a representative scenario based on field experience)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can you work if a funeral is taking place in one of the pavilions?
A: We never work in a pavilion while a ceremony is under way and will leave it until the funeral is over. Meanwhile we work in other pavilions or outdoor areas where we will not disturb the rites.

Q: Will your team move coffins or urns?
A: No. We do not touch coffins, urns, graves or ash niches. Those matters belong to the temple and the families of the deceased.

Q: The pavilion is open-sided. Can it be ozone-treated?
A: Ozone is suited to rooms that can be closed, such as storerooms and family rest rooms. Open pavilions are treated mainly with ULV disinfection fogging, together with mud removal and natural ventilation.

Q: When can a pavilion be used after fogging?
A: We will tell you the appropriate timing before work starts. Ozone-treated rooms must be ventilated according to our guidance before anyone enters. We generally plan to finish well before that pavilion's evening chanting.

Q: Is mosquito spraying in the cemetery safe for people visiting graves?
A: We spray when no visitors or guests are present and recommend that the temple asks people to stay out of the area for the period we advise.

Q: Our temple has a limited budget. Where should we start?
A: Start with one main pavilion, the kitchen and the restrooms so the temple can host funerals, then extend to storerooms, other pavilions and the cemetery area. We are happy to help set priorities within the temple's budget.

Q: Does the crematorium itself need treatment?
A: The crematorium chamber is the temple's responsibility and is operated only by the temple's own staff. Our work focuses on the surrounding floor, waiting areas, storerooms and paths that were flooded, and only when the temple confirms that no cremation is scheduled at that time.

Let the Temple Pavilion Be Ready to Honor the Departed Again

Contact the WHD team to arrange a survey of temples, pavilions, crematoria and cemetery areas in Sawaeng Ha, Wiset Chai Chan, Pho Thong and Mueang Ang Thong, with a plan that does not disturb any ceremony. We can also return for follow-up checks and mosquito control throughout the rest of the rainy season.

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Call 065-556-6294 · LINE @whd268 · Email worldhealthdisinfection@gmail.com

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Health reference: World Health Organization (WHO): Floods fact sheet · Department of Disease Control, Thailand