Around 333 out of 407 brick kilns in six districts under Barisal division are operating illegally and polluting the environment, taking chances of a work force shortage in the divisional department of environment (DoE), said officials.
The illegal brickfield owners ignored several notices by the environment department, asking them to take no-objection and clearance certificates by installing modernised systems, the DoE Barisal divisional office sources claimed.
Sukumar Biswas, director at Barisal divisional DoE office, said, 71 brick Kilns in Barisal, 26 in Jhalakathi, 16 in Bhola, 24 in Patuakhali, 20 in Pirojpur and 11 in Barguna of Barisal division are operating illegally, as they do not use a zigzag chimney.
While 105 brick kilns in Barisal, 14 in Jhalakathi, 8 in Pirojpur, 11 in Patuakhali, 12 in Barguna and 15 in Bhola have completely overlooked the rules by not only ignoring zigzag chimney’s but instead using illegal drum chimneys, he said.
The owners of these illegal brick kilns are operating their businesses in sheer violation of the directives mentioned in the 2001 Brick Kiln Amendment Rule, said the DoE official.
Biswas said: “Barisal divisional DoE office has 32 sanctioned posts including 11 officers, 21 other staffs and employees. However, only four officers and eight staffs and employees are now performing their duties, hardly looking after all types of environmental issues in a total of 40 upazilas under the six districts of Barisal division.”
Though the office has means of road transportations, it lacks water transport, much more necessary for visiting the remote river in areas while testing equipment, and chemicals are also scarce.
Despite these limitations, the divisional DoE office, only in the 2012-13 fiscal, realised almost Tk18m on fines during different environment protection drives. The amount was Tk28.1m in the previous four years, officials claimed.
However, locals said that after the departure of DoE officials the fined brick kiln resumed their production.
The DoE divisional director, admitting the shortcomings, said: “We work under different types of limitations, like administrative and judicial jurisdictions as well as a lack of coordination between different government and non-government offices, manpower, transport, laboratory and equipment shortages.”
Besides these, political leaders and vested quarters often put pressure on the department’s drives, leaving it helpless or forcing it into long legal battles, especially in cases of filling water bodies, cutting down trees, constructing establishments in violation of environment laws and safety rules.
Maniruzzaman Rubel, one of the of brick kiln owners’ of Barisal, said, after paying the required government taxes and duties he sought trade licenses and clearance from the DoE. However, the administration and DoE showing the plea of some legal constraints are ignoring the practical scenario of the rising demands of bricks.
Lincon Gayen, district coordinator of the Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association, said the DoE divisional office has an insufficient workforce to look after environmental issues like illegal brick kilns, dumping of toxic chemicals, industrial and medical wastes. It also fails to operate regular office management and research works.
