Toxic smoke from brick kilns damages crops in Tangail

Almost 100 acres of Boro paddy has been damaged in Kodim Deohata and Mir Deohata areas of Mirzapur upazila in Tangail.

Locals alleged that toxic smoke emitted from brick kilns was the reason.

Besides paddy, vegetables adjacent to the paddy fields are also getting damaged by this toxic smoke, they added.

In the last few years, about a dozen brick kilns were constructed at two villages under Gorai union adjacent to the crop fields. The brick burning process started during the beginning of the Boro paddy cultivation.

When the brick burning comes to a halt and the chimneys are shut off, the smoke gets out through the shafts underneath the kilns. This smoke from the shafts damages the crops. Besides, the chimney's height needs to be about 130 feet so that they cannot damage the crops.

Consequently, as a result of this latent emission,  the upper portion of the paddy leaves were burnt and damaged before harvest.

 During a recent visit, this correspondent saw that the paddy in fields adjacent to the kilns were partially or fully damaged.

    Nurul Islam of Mir Deohata village said he cultivated boro paddy on seven acres of land. The paddy leaves, however, started turning gray just after planting the saplings and rice husks turned sticky, as a result of the emission, he said. 

Farmer Abdul Khaleque of the same village said, "The brick kilns started getting constructed in the area about six years ago. In the last three years I didn't even get close to the yield I used to get before the brick kilns were constructed," he said. 

Asked about the matter, Mohammad Ali, former UP member and owner of SMB-1 brick kiln, said the brick kiln's operation has been stopped before Eid. "None of the paddy got damaged for the brick kilns," he claimed.

Md Amanullah, owner of HSB Bricks, said height of the chimney of his brick kiln is about 130 feet, so no crops were damaged by his brick kiln.

"Normally crops get damaged for the low-height of chimneys," he said. 

Contacted, Sanjay Kumar Paul, upazila agriculture officer in Mirzapur, said farmers informed him of the matter.

The field level agriculture officers have already visited the crop fields in the concerned areas. They will submit a report in this regard soon.

"I'll also visit the area to assess the damages and later send the report to the UNO," he added.