Brick kilns illegally burning wood, bamboo to save some bucks
Bricks are being produced by burning wood and bamboo instead of coal in most of the brick kilns in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram, in violation of the law.
There are 174 brick kilns in the two districts. Out of this, 111 brick kilns are in Kurigram and 63 in Lalmonirhat.
Recently, a mobile court has fined two brick kilns for making bricks by burning wood and bamboo instead of coal in Bamanerbasa area of Lalmonirhat's Aditmari upazila.
Farmer Nazir Hossain (67) of Khatmari village of Rajarhat in Kurigram, said brick kiln owners are collecting wood and bamboo from the surrounding villages.
Due to the burning of wood and bamboo in the brick kiln, the cropland around the kilns is getting damaged, he said.
Wood-bamboo ash is flying and accumulating in the crop fields, he added. This does not happen if coal is burned, provided that there is a mechanism to trap the harmful byproducts at the kilns.
Farmer Mozammel Haque (65) of Dhairkhata village of Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila echoed him.
Brick makers working in brick kilns said around 5,000 to 6,000 tonnes of wood and bamboo are burnt in each brick kiln every season.
Atiar Rahman, a wood trader in Kulaghat area of Lalmonirhat Sadar, said brick kiln owners are buying a large amount of wood and bamboo this year compared to previous years.
Manowarul Islam, inspector of Department of Environment in Rangpur, said, "On the pretext that the price of coal has increased, brick kiln owners have started using wood and bamboo instead of coal. We are getting complaints from different areas. Drives are being conducted against the listed brick kilns in phases."
Contacted, Mohammad Ullah, deputy commissioner of Lalmonirhat, said DoE is operating mobile courts and will fine kiln owners if the allegations are found to be true.
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