Over 150 brick kilns operating without license in Barisal
Murad Ahmed, Barisal
A massive surge in the number of brick kilns in Koloshkathi village in Barisal has ruined the ecology of the area. Plants are no longer flowering in the village and birds have stopped nesting there. About 45 kilns are currently operating in the area in utter disregard of environmental laws.
The villagers claim that they are too scared to protest against the situation as the brick kiln owners are extremely powerful and influential. The chairman of Koloskhathi union parishad, Abdur Razzak Talukdar, said he had no control over the situation as the owners pay him no heed.
Md Nazrul Islam, director of the Department of Environment (DoE) Barisal, also acknowledged that environmental laws were being violated by the kiln owners in Koloshkathi.
There are several illegal brick kilns in the region. Weve conducted several drives here and fined the owners, but still failed to control them, he said.
Locals claim that the kiln owners donate heavily to politicians and thus enjoy political protection. In the past, the village had won several awards for its clean environment. When this reporter visited the village 23 years ago, it had only eight kilns. But since then, 37 additional kilns have been built, sending the environment balance for a toss.
DoE Barisal divisional office and field report sources said that there are 202 licensed brick fields in the six districts of the division69 in Barisal, 24 in Patuakhali, seven in Jhalakati, 36 in Barguna, 16 in Pirojpur, and 50 in Bhola.
The sources also said that a total of 116 unlicensed brick kilns are also operating illegally in the division51 in Barisal, 7 in Bhola, 16 in Barguna, 17 in Patuakhali, 24 in Jhalakati, and 11 in Pirojpur.
Local sources claimed that over 50 other kilns have legal papers, but were flouting the legal requirements. DoE Barisal divisional office has only one inspector to visit the 316 brick kilns under operation in the six districts. The lack of regular supervision and monitoring has led to sheer violation of the directives mentioned in the Brick Kiln Amendment Rule. Almost all the kilns are running on firewood and have drum chimneys less than 50 feet in height.
The directives stipulate that brick kilns should not be constructed within 3 km of any house, crop field, or educational institution. Many brick kilns, however, have been set up near human habitations and crop fields. Some kilns have also been set up on the roadside in different areas of Koloshkathi, Baisari, Kawkhali, Wazirpur, Babuganj, Banaripara of Barisal, Swarupkati of Pirojpur and Sadar of Jhalakati districts. These kilns are polluting the environment and decreasing soil fertility. Jahanara Begum, a housewife from Koloshkathi village, said she has not heard cuckoos singing in last 10 spring seasons.
Omar Ali, a village policeman, said: No one wants to listen to our woes as we are poor and the kiln owners are rich. DOE sources claimed that they have identified all the illegal kilns and are taking action against them. In a special drive last month, the department fined 13 illegal brick kilns a total of Tk. 13 lakh.Sources in Barisal Brick Kilns Owners Association said that officially there were 120 brick kilns in Barisal district, but only 69 of them are licensed. Only 19 of these are members of the association. They claimed to have no knowledge as to how the non-members had been running their illegal business.
