The agriculture ministry has put out an SOS drawing attention to the country’s fast decreasing farmlands being in distress thanks to the mushroom growth of brick kilns, which are feasting on the fertile topsoil.
The ministry has sought an immediate halt to such activities, expressing an apprehension that an unbridled increase of brick kilns would see the country’s food security in jeopardy.
At a recent meeting with the commissioners of all eight divisions of the country, the ministry sought proactive moves to put the kilns using top soils in brickmaking in check.
Agriculture ministry officials, with knowledge of the meeting held at the Bangladesh Secretariat on December 22, told Dhaka Tribune that all eight divisional commissioners had been briefed on the grave situation where arable lands have been losing fertility due to the conversion of farmlands to non-farm lands and extraction of top soils in manufacturing bricks.
Citing an example, the ministry told the commissioners that there were over 800 brick kilns in the greater Chittagong belt which were extracting topsoil and action on which was needed.
The divisional commissioners have been asked to make sure all subordinate officials under their jurisdictions be serious in applying the laws that clearly prohibit top soil extractions. Such extractions cause much danger to the country’s food security.
Agriculture secretary Dr Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian chaired the meeting where the brick kiln issue was flagged as a looming danger.
In its latest publication in October this year, state-run Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI) gave an account of Chittagong’s Ranguniya Upazila.
Over the past two decades, Ranguniya lost 431 hectares of land to brick kilns, according to an SRDI survey.
By losing soil nutrients and essential microorganisms crucial for crop production, lands are becoming acidic, SRDI notes.
Topsoil is the uppermost outer layer of the soil that contains the highest concentration of organic matter. It also contains humus that helps break down nutrients for plants to process food.
Earlier this year, a report quoting the Department of Environment (DoE) stated that, out of 7,086 kilns in Bangladesh, 4,505 didn’t have environmental clearance.
In March this year, the government claimed that 209 illegal brick kilns were being closed down.
Since the political changeover in August, on and off DoE-run drives are on to shut or fine brick fields but things have not been changed much as new kilns continue to spring up amidst administrative indifference.
On many occasions over the past one decade or so, Bangladesh’s top courts have summoned the authorities concerned, directing them to stop the nuisance. In some cases, even the DoE’s top officials have appeared in court, promising to redress the situation.
But with things not improving much, the agriculture ministry this time has had to take up the issue with the top administrators of the eight divisions – Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barisal, Rajshahi and Rangpur.