Sagar Shabnam
Salima, daughter of textile labourer Aminuddin of Kashimpur, has long been suffering from respiratory problems. She was treated by a local doctor, but it did not help her.
The doctor, who treated Salima, told her father that dust and smoke of brickfields in Kashimpur and its surrounding areas were the main causes of her illness. The doctor advised him to leave the place for the sake of Salima's health, but poor Aminuddin had nowhere to go.
Says Aminuddin: "The people of this locality lead a miserable life for six months a year due to dust, smoke and bad smell caused by brick baking. Well-off families do not live here during that time, but the poor are simply helpless.
Not only Salima, many others are also suffering from breathing difficulties. The abundant existence of carbon in the air causes burning sensation in eyes. "Apart from respiratory diseases, people of the locality also suffer from various skin diseases such as Scandy, Dermatitis and Eczema," says Shah Alam, a physician of Nayapara village in Kashimpur Union. "Most of the affected people are women and children," he says.
The workers at the brickfields also suffer from various complicated diseases, including skin problems. They are not conscious about their health. A worker, who does not want to be named, says their owner hardly offer any healthcare facility unless any serious accident takes place in his brickyard.
According to locals, this village was once full of greeneries, but now it is all pale. The agriculture has been hit hard as lands are getting infertile. The inhabitants of Kashimpur in Gazipur district are not only the victims of environment pollution, but the people living in other areas surrounded by brickfields are also facing the same problems.
There are some 20000 brickfields of all sizes across the country. According to an estimate, there are about 4000 brickfields in Tongi, Ashulia, Savar, Gabtoli, Gazipur, Konabari, Kadda, Munshiganj, Keraniganj and adjacent areas of the capital, occupying some 1 lakh acres of land. Land Ministry's ban on setting up of brickfield on agricultural land is also being ignored.
According to an estimate, some 4 million unskilled workers are working in the sector from where the government earns Tk 200 crore in revenue every year.
For six months of the year -- from October-November to March-April bricks -- are burnt relentlessly. As a result, the whole area gets covered with black and white smoke. Hundreds of tons of smoke, dust and carbon float in the air, harming the ecological balance.
A survey conducted in the areas shows a brickfield starts functioning on a tiny piece of land (three decimals). Gradually, it expands as the people are forced to sell the nearby lands. As the brickfields are not made without giving consideration to the environment, they are making people's lives a hell.
According to a 1951 law, setting up of a brickfield on an agricultural land is a punishable offence. Another law enacted in 2001 says a brickfield with 120-foot high chimney has to be set up only on unfertile land, riverbanks or a place that is not densely populated. Most of the owners of brickfields are not abiding by the laws. But the owners claim that they are following government rules.
Although one has to take a license from the Deputy Commissioner for setting up of a brickfield, many are simply not obeying the rule. Left-out tyres are used as fuel along with firewood in brickfields.
According to Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, 430 grams of firewood is required to burn one single brick and thus 430 metric tons of firewood will be needed to bake 100,000 bricks.
A research conducted by the Forest and Environment Institute of Chittagong University shows that 416 cubic metre of firewood is burnt in each brickfield. As a result, 524 tons of carbon dioxide, 20 tons of carbon monoxide gases are exhausted from the brickfields.
About this Deputy Commissioner of Gazipur M Fazle Rabbi says the government has banned burning of firewood in brickfields and violators of the law can be punished by six months' imprisonment or be fined of Tk 50,000 or both. He says mobile courts inspect brickfields and apart from confiscating firewood and filing cases against the owners who violate the law.
The amount of sulfur dioxide in the air increases in areas where brickfields use low quality coal. This poisonous gas has a strong smell. Due to this gas, people living near brickfields suffer from breathing difficulty. The polluted air is an obstacle to physical and mental growth of children.
According to information received from the Directorate of Environment, import of coal with over 1.5 per cent sulfur has been banned. But pre-shipment arrangement to control the quality of coal has been unsuccessful due to pressure from the importers.
Mizanur Rahman Babul, president of Brickfield Owners' Association, says that they are in favour of producing block bricks for the sake of environment. "Everyone will come up if they get government assistance. Nobody wants to harm the environment. But for this government initiative is essential."
State Minister for Forest and Environment Jafrul Islam Chowdhury says, "The traditional use of brick needs to be stopped and appropriate measures have been taken to deal with the issue. People need to be encouraged to produce and use environment-friendly block brick."
In Dhaka and its adjacent areas, there are some modern factories to produce block bricks. Concord produces block brick from sand and cement. The use of this product has already been very popular. "To keep land fertility intact, we should avoid using traditional brick that is made burning soil," says director of Concord Industries Nizamuddin Ahmed.
According to him, block brick is not only cheaper, but also durable, environment-friendly and more protective against earthquake. "There should be a vigorous campaign to make people aware about it."
Environmentalist Professor Mozaffar Ahmed says, "People should be made aware about the necessity of environment-friendly block brick. The law regarding this has to be enforced. Illegal brickfields have to be shut down, or else, there will be a environmental catastrophe."
— NewsNetwork
Environment-friendly block bricks: Offering the right choice
FE Team | Published: September 29, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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