Brick kilns in Tangail badly affect environment

More than 200 brick kilns in 12 upazilas of the district have long been polluting the environment. Of them, 72 are in the reserve forest area of Madhupur, Ghatail, Sakhipur and Mirzapur upazilas. The use of topsoil in making bricks, setting up of kilns on arable land and use of immature timber are seriously threatening the environment. Sources said most of those brick fields were not abiding by the Brick Burning (Control) Act of 2013 (revised). According to the Brick Burning Act for conversation of biodiversity and the environment, it is suggested only zigzag, hi-breed and vertical shelf types of kilns be set up so that no wood and immature bamboo stumps are used for burning bricks.
But huge quantities of wood and immature bamboo stumps are being used in most of the brick kilns for burning bricks, in place of coal, in different parts of the district.
It is alleged that some forest officials and police are helping criminals in denuding the forest. About a thousand mounds of timber are being used in the brick kilns on a daily basis. Huge piles of wood can be seen by the side of many of these brick fields.
Two brick fields were established at Boheratoil, only 300 metres away from the forest range officer’s office. According to the law, brick kilns are not allowed in and around three kilometres of any reserve forest.
Farid Hossain, owner of SRF Bricks, and Abdur Rahim, owner of Pubali Bricks, did not take any permission or NOC from the Department of Environment (DoE) before establishing their kilns in the reserve forest area.
When asked, the Boheratoil range officer said he has informed the higher authorities about the matter.  
DoE deputy director (Tangail) Zillur Rahman said his office did not give permission to any of the kilns for burning bricks in the area. They would conduct drives against the brick kilns soon, he added.
According to sources, it is learnt that huge quantities of wood are being used for burning bricks in the dead of night. Small quantities of coal are kept near the brick fields as an eyewash. If these brick fields are properly inspected by the authorities, it will be clear that huge quantities of wood and immature bamboo stumps are being destroyed through the brick furnaces.
It is learnt that many brick kilns are established without a chimney of proper height. These are polluting the environment by emitting black smoke. By indiscriminately setting up brick kilns on arable land, their owners are shrinking cultivable land. The topsoil of the paddy fields is being used in making bricks, which is adversely impacting land fertility.
The Tangail DFO told this correspondent that some cases had already been lodged against brick field owners for violating the ban on the use of firewood in brick kilns.
Some brick kiln owners said that they were compelled to use a certain percentage of these materials to cope with the huge expenditure of making bricks.
DoE sources said 50 out of 200 brick kilns in 12 upazilas had not received the no objection certificate (NOC) from the authorities concerned, while the owners of others did not even take any permission from the respective upazila, union parishad and municipality authorities to run their businesses.
Locals alleged that a section of influential people built these brick kilns on arable land by defying the law of the land. Anwara Begum, headmistress of Daphat Government Primary School, said: "Local people have tried to draw the attention of the local administration to stop the adjoining brick kiln, but no action has been taken yet."
It is very difficult to stay in classrooms due to the smoke emitted by the nearby brick kiln, she added.

 

Brick kilns in Tangail badly affect environment

More than 200 brick kilns in 12 upazilas of the district have long been polluting the environment. Of them, 72 are in the reserve forest area of Madhupur, Ghatail, Sakhipur and Mirzapur upazilas. The use of topsoil in making bricks, setting up of kilns on arable land and use of immature timber are seriously threatening the environment. Sources said most of those brick fields were not abiding by the Brick Burning (Control) Act of 2013 (revised). According to the Brick Burning Act for conversation of biodiversity and the environment, it is suggested only zigzag, hi-breed and vertical shelf types of kilns be set up so that no wood and immature bamboo stumps are used for burning bricks. But huge quantities of wood and immature bamboo stumps are being used in most of the brick kilns for burning bricks, in place of coal, in different parts of the district. It is alleged that some forest officials and police are helping criminals in denuding the forest. About a thousand mounds of timber are being used in the brick kilns on a daily basis. Huge piles of wood can be seen by the side of many of these brick fields. Two brick fields were established at Boheratoil, only 300 metres away from the forest range officers office. According to the law, brick kilns are not allowed in and around three kilometres of any reserve forest. Farid Hossain, owner of SRF Bricks, and Abdur Rahim, owner of Pubali Bricks, did not take any permission or NOC from the Department of Environment (DoE) before establishing their kilns in the reserve forest area. When asked, the Boheratoil range officer said he has informed the higher authorities about the matter. DoE deputy director (Tangail) Zillur Rahman said his office did not give permission to any of the kilns for burning bricks in the area. They would conduct drives against the brick kilns soon, he added. According to sources, it is learnt that huge quantities of wood are being used for burning bricks in the dead of night. Small quantities of coal are kept near the brick fields as an eyewash. If these brick fields are properly inspected by the authorities, it will be clear that huge quantities of wood and immature bamboo stumps are being destroyed through the brick furnaces. It is learnt that many brick kilns are established without a chimney of proper height. These are polluting the environment by emitting black smoke. By indiscriminately setting up brick kilns on arable land, their owners are shrinking cultivable land. The topsoil of the paddy fields is being used in making bricks, which is adversely impacting land fertility. The Tangail DFO told this correspondent that some cases had already been lodged against brick field owners for violating the ban on the use of firewood in brick kilns. Some brick kiln owners said that they were compelled to use a certain percentage of these materials to cope with the huge expenditure of making bricks. DoE sources said 50 out of 200 brick kilns in 12 upazilas had not received the no objection certificate (NOC) from the authorities concerned, while the owners of others did not even take any permission from the respective upazila, union parishad and municipality authorities to run their businesses. Locals alleged that a section of influential people built these brick kilns on arable land by defying the law of the land. Anwara Begum, headmistress of Daphat Government Primary School, said: Local people have tried to draw the attention of the local administration to stop the adjoining brick kiln, but no action has been taken yet. It is very difficult to stay in classrooms due to the smoke emitted by the nearby brick kiln, she added.