Indiscriminate firewood burning in Rangpur brickfields poses a threat to reserve forests

RANGPUR, Jan 21: Indiscriminate burning of firewood in brickfields of the district has become a threat to reserve forests and environment.

A large number of trees of the reserve forests under the region are being cut everyday, sources said.

According to concerned sources more than 185 brick kilns have been set up in 8 upazilas in Rangpur district. Many of them are burning wood violating the government rules.

Huge quantities of woods are burnt every year in the brickfields of the region, sources informed.

A huge number of trees are felled for using in brickfields in the district every year, it is alleged.

According to sources hundreds of hectares of forest lands declined during the last few years in the region because of indiscriminate use of firewood in brick-fields.

While visiting some brickfields at Pirganj, Mithapukur and Badarganj upazilas of the district it was found that a large number of woods were piled up for using in brick fields.

Jamal Miah (50), a worker at a brickfield of Alampur union under Taraganj upazila in the district told The Financial Express that they can use firewood for making bricks without any hesitation as the law enforcing agencies are not strict enough in this regard, he added.

Though there is a government directive to use coal in burning bricks, violating that the brickfields owners are relentlessly using the wood as alternative to coal, sources alleged.

In this situation the conscious people of the region opined that the government should take stern action against using firewood in brickfields for the sake of a healthy and safe environment for human being as well as other creatures.

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