More than 150 brick kilns are operating illegally across the nine upazilas of Pabna district.
Many of these kilns have been established on agricultural land and within residential areas without following regulations, causing severe environmental pollution.
As a result, local residents face increased health risks and agricultural production is being disrupted.
According to the Department of Environment (DoE), approximately 600,000 tons of wood are burned annually to meet the fuel demand of these kilns.
According to the Pabna District Administration, only 56 of the kilns have official licenses. Of them, 50 have not renewed their permits for a long time, leaving only 6 kilns in legal operation.
Abdullah Al Mamun, assistant professor of medicine at Pabna Medical College, said smoke from brick kilns is a major environmental pollutant.
He said: “Continuous inhalation of such smoke can lead to sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia in children, silicosis and even lung cancer.”
He added that kiln emissions increase the risk of asthma, respiratory diseases and respiratory infections among children. The toxic smoke also harms vegetation and the wider environment.
Pabna Deputy Commissioner Aminul Islam said drives against illegal kilns on agricultural land are ongoing.
He said recent operations were carried out in residential areas of Lakshmikunda in Ishwardi Upazila.
He added that the administration has taken a strict stance against the extraction of soil from farmland. No new approval is being issued for kiln construction in the district, he said, and any kiln built without authorization is illegal.
Sources said the highest concentration of brick kilns is in Himaitpur, Char Bangabari, Banglabazar and Bajitpur in Pabna Sadar. Other affected areas include Kamalpur in Sujanagar, Aminpur in Bera, Char Sengram in Chatmohar and Lakshmikunda in Ishwardi.
Many kilns have been built on agricultural land and in residential areas. Trees are being cut for fuel, while topsoil is being removed from farmland to produce bricks, reducing cultivable land.
Officials from the Department of Environment in Pabna said the district has more than 100 traditional zigzag kilns, many of which use 120-foot chimneys. They said the kilns depend heavily on wood as fuel and often use tin chimneys.
They added that much of the wood comes from the Sundarbans and nearby districts. The annual burning of around 600,000 tons of wood is contributing to deforestation.
Sources also alleged that some kilns continue to operate through influence and financial arrangements involving certain officials and related authorities.
They said large sums of money are exchanged over soil extraction permits and through kiln owners’ associations.
As a result, even after enforcement drives shut down illegal kilns, many owners resume operations shortly afterward.
Md Yusuf Ali, assistant director of the Department of Environment in Pabna, said drives against illegally established kilns on agricultural land are continuing.
He added that the government is preparing stricter measures against owners who restart operations after demolition drives.
Kilns resume operations after demolition
During a recent field visit, Dhaka Tribune found influential individuals operating kilns in residential and agricultural areas of Bera Upazila. Six kilns in Bagmirzapur and Sinduri villages under Aminpur Police Station were demolished in May last year, but 4 of them have resumed operations.
Illegal kilns were also found operating on cultivated land, near educational institutions and in densely populated areas of Santhia Upazila.
Nazrul Islam, a resident of Sinduri village, said 4 of the 6 demolished kilns are now functioning again. He identified them as Satata, Satata Plus, Ekota and Mondol brick kilns.
He said none of the kilns has valid approval, but they have continued operating for more than a decade through political influence and muscle power. He also alleged that some owners ignore licensing requirements because the kilns are built on their own land.
A visit to Char Bangabari village in Pabna Sadar found a long stretch of brick kilns beyond Pabna Mental Hospital and Pabna Medical College. The kilns have spread across large agricultural fields and densely populated villages, with thick black smoke from the chimneys covering the surrounding area.
Maleka Begum, an elderly resident of Char Bangabari, said the smoke often makes breathing difficult, causes illness among local people and damages plants and trees. She said no effective action is being taken.
Ayesha Akter, a resident of Pabna Sadar, said news reports often highlight illegal kilns and authorities occasionally conduct raids and impose fines, but owners quickly restart operations. She said stronger laws and stricter enforcement are needed.
A similar situation exists in Selonda, Dhulauri, Patgari, Kashinathpur, Ataikula and Samannyapara in Santhia Upazila, where at least 8 brick kilns are operating on agricultural land, near residential areas and beside educational institutions. One kiln, Messrs Madari Sardar Brickfield (MSB), is located directly in front of Samannyapara Government Primary School.
In Pabna Sadar and Ishwardi, influential groups are reportedly operating illegal kilns through organized syndicates. Hundreds of bighas of fertile agricultural land have been damaged as kiln owners extract soil for brick production.
Local influential individuals are also allegedly excavating soil from rivers and government land using excavators and transporting it daily to brick kilns. Similar activity has been reported in Dogachi and Bharara unions along the Padma River.
Several kiln owners said they are unable to renew their licenses and that the government is not issuing new licenses either. Since many kilns are located on privately owned land, they do not view their operations as problematic.
Regarding environmental damage and the requirement that kilns should be located near river areas, Aminpur resident Razzak Master said his kiln was demolished by the authorities and he has since returned to farming.
Md Babul, a resident of Kashinathpur, said local authorities struggle to take action against kiln owners because they are highly influential. He said stronger government action is needed to protect agricultural land.
Former adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Syeda Rizwana Hasan said both the government and the public must become more aware of the need to stop brick kilns from being established on agricultural land.
She said once a brick kiln is built on a piece of land, crops may not grow there again for up to 100 years. She also said the black smoke emitted from kilns is harmful to human health and damages plants, animals and birds.
Rizwana Hasan added that during her tenure, eviction drives were carried out against illegal kilns in several districts, including Aminpur in Pabna. However, many demolished kilns have since resumed operations.
She described the situation as a failure of enforcement and called for strict legal action against kiln owners.