Half of brick kilns in country run illegally

Brick kilns without green technology pose threat to health,

Some 50 per cent of about 9,700 brick kilns in the country are running illegally, without any no-objection certificate (NoC) from the Department of Environment (DoE), causing environmental pollution alongside damaging agricultural lands and posing health hazards.

According to experts and green activists, the owners of unauthorised brick kilns are using drum chimneys or fixed chimneys in the absence of any ‘effective’ drives, and some times by taking stay orders from the court.  

Against such backdrop, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Bangladesh Bank (BB) have taken an initiative to provide soft loans to the owners of brick kilns to help them install green technology instead of using drum chimneys for making bricks.

Sources said the ADB has allocated USD 50 million as soft loans while the BB has earmarked Tk 200 crore for brick kiln owners in an effort to control air pollution in the country.

A former additional director-general (ADG) of the DoE, Abdus Sobhan, disclosed that there is a total of 9,700 brick kilns in the country.

Sobhan, also the general secretary of Paribesh Bachao Andolan (POBA), an NGO working on environmental issues, cited the number of brick kilns referring to a survey conducted by his organization.

“Of the total number of brick kilns, 1,800 are being run with drum chimneys, which were totally banned in 2001. Apart from these, 4,700 brick kilns are being operated through the zigzag system, 3,075 brick kilns are 120-feet ones while 125 brick kilns are being run through hybrid Hoffman kilns,” he added. He further disclosed that only 4,825 brick kiln owners in the country have  

licences while the remaining factories are operating illegally. Most of the brick kilns based on the drum chimney method are being operated illegally in coastal areas, he added.

The DoE, however, has claimed that there are only 6,770 brick kilns in the country. Sobhan said, “The DoE and district administrations have no updated data on brick kilns. Such illegal activities are occurring in the country since the departments concerned lack accountability and monitoring.”

Normally, the brick production season is between November and April, he said, adding that it is possible to halt such activities if officials of the DoE and district administrations properly discharge their duties.

“We have suggested to the DoE to take steps to relocate all the brick kilns set up adjacent to the capital to other places. If this is not done, the situation of air pollution in Dhaka will turn into one like New Delhi’s within the next five years.”

The air quality index of Dhaka was 323, of Gazipur 324, and of Narayanganj 353 on December 27, which was extremely unhealthy, he added.

“The average particulate matter (pm) measurements were 148 and 158 micrograms in 2015 and 2016 respectively against the standard pm of 10. This is very dangerous for the human body, as it directly affects the lungs and causes other diseases like coughing,” Sobhan said.

According to a research conducted by the Housing and Building Research Institute of the Housing and Public Works Ministry, the brick kilns in the country produces about 25 billion bricks annually, consuming 5 million tonnes of coal and 3 million tonnes of wood, and resulting in the emission of 15 million tonnes of carbon into the air.

The non-modernised brick kilns are posing threat to the environment, experts said, adding that the brick kilns are responsible for polluting the air quality apart from damaging agricultural lands and causing hazards to human health.

The DoE is conducting mobile courts against illegal brick kiln owners on a regular basis, Kazi Sarwar Imtiaz Hashmi, the ADG of the DoE, told The Independent yesterday.

“Many unscrupulous brick kiln owners are operating their factories after taking orders from courts. We are planning to discuss the matter with the attorney-general to find out a way to deal with it,” he said in reply to a query.

He said the ADB and BB have financed brick kiln owners for the installation of green-based modern technology in their respective factories to produce bricks.

The DoE is trying to control air pollution through several measures, the ADG also claimed.

IK

 

Half of brick kilns in country run illegally

Brick kilns without green technology pose threat to health,

Some 50 per cent of about 9,700 brick kilns in the country are running illegally, without any no-objection certificate (NoC) from the Department of Environment (DoE), causing environmental pollution alongside damaging agricultural lands and posing health hazards. According to experts and green activists, the owners of unauthorised brick kilns are using drum chimneys or fixed chimneys in the absence of any effective drives, and some times by taking stay orders from the court. Against such backdrop, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Bangladesh Bank (BB) have taken an initiative to provide soft loans to the owners of brick kilns to help them install green technology instead of using drum chimneys for making bricks. Sources said the ADB has allocated USD 50 million as soft loans while the BB has earmarked Tk 200 crore for brick kiln owners in an effort to control air pollution in the country. A former additional director-general (ADG) of the DoE, Abdus Sobhan, disclosed that there is a total of 9,700 brick kilns in the country. Sobhan, also the general secretary of Paribesh Bachao Andolan (POBA), an NGO working on environmental issues, cited the number of brick kilns referring to a survey conducted by his organization. Of the total number of brick kilns, 1,800 are being run with drum chimneys, which were totally banned in 2001. Apart from these, 4,700 brick kilns are being operated through the zigzag system, 3,075 brick kilns are 120-feet ones while 125 brick kilns are being run through hybrid Hoffman kilns, he added. He further disclosed that only 4,825 brick kiln owners in the country have licences while the remaining factories are operating illegally. Most of the brick kilns based on the drum chimney method are being operated illegally in coastal areas, he added. The DoE, however, has claimed that there are only 6,770 brick kilns in the country. Sobhan said, The DoE and district administrations have no updated data on brick kilns. Such illegal activities are occurring in the country since the departments concerned lack accountability and monitoring. Normally, the brick production season is between November and April, he said, adding that it is possible to halt such activities if officials of the DoE and district administrations properly discharge their duties. We have suggested to the DoE to take steps to relocate all the brick kilns set up adjacent to the capital to other places. If this is not done, the situation of air pollution in Dhaka will turn into one like New Delhis within the next five years. The air quality index of Dhaka was 323, of Gazipur 324, and of Narayanganj 353 on December 27, which was extremely unhealthy, he added. The average particulate matter (pm) measurements were 148 and 158 micrograms in 2015 and 2016 respectively against the standard pm of 10. This is very dangerous for the human body, as it directly affects the lungs and causes other diseases like coughing, Sobhan said. According to a research conducted by the Housing and Building Research Institute of the Housing and Public Works Ministry, the brick kilns in the country produces about 25 billion bricks annually, consuming 5 million tonnes of coal and 3 million tonnes of wood, and resulting in the emission of 15 million tonnes of carbon into the air. The non-modernised brick kilns are posing threat to the environment, experts said, adding that the brick kilns are responsible for polluting the air quality apart from damaging agricultural lands and causing hazards to human health. The DoE is conducting mobile courts against illegal brick kiln owners on a regular basis, Kazi Sarwar Imtiaz Hashmi, the ADG of the DoE, told The Independent yesterday. Many unscrupulous brick kiln owners are operating their factories after taking orders from courts. We are planning to discuss the matter with the attorney-general to find out a way to deal with it, he said in reply to a query. He said the ADB and BB have financed brick kiln owners for the installation of green-based modern technology in their respective factories to produce bricks. The DoE is trying to control air pollution through several measures, the ADG also claimed. IK