Ministers for closing down traditional brick kilns

Two ministers have blamed the traditional brick kilns for environmental pollution and pitched for closing them down with a definite time frame. Finance Minister AMA Muhith said a timeframe has to be set to eliminate conventional brick fields from the country. Supporting the idea of eliminating the traditional brick fields, State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid advocated introducing hollow-block in building construction for the sake of environment and saving the top soil. The two ministers came up with the remarks while addressing a seminar on energy efficiency, organised by Power Division at Mukti Hall of Biduyt Bhaban in the city on Tuesday. Chaired by Power Division additional secretary Tapos Kumar Roy, the seminar was also addressed by Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman AR Khan. ‘Brick fields are polluting the environment. We should keep an eye on the issue,’ State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul hamid said. ‘Almost all brick fields are traditional in the country. They cause so much pollution that trees do not bear fruits in the areas where they are located,’ he said. The state minister said these brick fields were no longer seen in developed countries. ‘In developed countries a hollow block is created with cement and sand, which is used for constructing building. We have sufficient sands in the rivers, which we can use here,’ he stated. Hamid said blocks were safer than bricks and because they weighed less, using them meant one would need fewer rods for construction, report agencies.