To stop the country’s brick kilns from polluting the environment, the government has planned to stop use of bricks for construction works so that the kilns stop producing bricks. A six-year plan has been chalked out in this regard to stop completely the use of brick for construction works in the country.
Each year more than 17,000 crore pieces of burnt-bricks are used for various construction works, and a huge amount of soil is removed from the upper layer for producing the bricks severely affecting land fertility and diminishing amount of farm land, experts opine.
Country’s arable land is decreasing everyday as 284 million cubic feet of soil is being removed from upper layer of land annually for producing bricks. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change issued a notification on November 25 mandating this plan.
Director General of the Environment Department Mahmud Hassan said, "In many countries of the world, the use of bricks is completely prohibited." Brick is one of the major sources of environmental pollution in the country. Brick will not be used for any government construction after 2025. Blocks will be used then for all construction works, he added.
Forest, Environment and Climate Change officials said brick kiln is one of the main sources of environment pollution in Bangladesh. Various diseases are spreading around the ash smoke. Many institutions in the country are building blocks. In order to encourage the use of blocks instead of bricks, an Act was passed in the Parliament this year.
The decision to ban the use of bricks was made at an inter-ministerial meeting held at the secretariat. However, it was informed that the directive will not be applied to construction, repair and renovation of roads, highways and sub-ways. 72% of the bricks are made using environmental unfriendly chimneys. Elimination of illegal brick kilns has been initiated primarily in Dhaka and adjacent districts.
Abu Naser Khan, chairman of Save the Environment Movement, said the number of brick kilns in the country is around 10,000, of which less than half are environment compliant. In the dry season, 58 percent of Dhaka's air pollution occurs due to smoke ooze out from the brick kilns around the capital.
Abus Naser Khan said, “For these reasons, it is important to use block for construction works. But producing blocks can also lead to environmental pollution. The government need to be conscious and serious about it.”
