Ex-BCSIR director develops new brick

A brick developed from a mixture of rice husk, lime, and sand can reduce earthquake casualties because it is one and a half times lighter than clay bricks, a past director of the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) said yesterday.

Dr Kazi Nasrin Farooque presented the pictures of her creation at a daylong seminar on earthquake risk management, at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban of Dhaka University.

During earthquakes, many die under the rubble because of heavy construction materials, she said, adding that since the alternative brick was light, it would reduce the casualties to a great extent.

The brick is created by mixing rice husk, lime, and sand in a ratio of 3:1:1.

Other speakers said the brick could also  save valuable resources.

Kilns produce ordinary bricks, which are resource intensive, energy inefficient, and highly polluting since they require precious agricultural land, water, wood, coal, and soil, and cause emissions, they said.

Dr Nasrin said alternative bricks could be developed by recycling waste materials, which could proect the environment too.

The Department of Disaster Science and Management, and Curzon Hall Environment Club jointly organised the seminar. MA Mannan, state minister for finance and planning; Brig Gen Ali Ahmed Khan, director general of the Fire Service and Civil Defence; and Md Abu Sadeque, director of the Housing and Building Research Institute, were also present.