One of the biggest drawbacks of Bangladesh’s incredible growth and rapid urbanization has been the need for more and more construction. This has given rise to one of Dhaka’s most egregious issues -- the issue of air pollution, which, as we approach winter, will only get worse.
Indeed, Dhaka consistently ranks as among the worst cities when it comes to air pollution, and one of if not the biggest contributors to that has historically been our brick kilns which, as per a study conducted by researchers from Stanford University, US, and International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), are also responsible for 17% of the country’s annual carbon dioxide emissions.
To that end, it is very encouraging to learn that the government has decided to ban the use of traditional bricks in the next three years in phases because of the environmental hazards brick kilns cause. What is perhaps more exciting is that with such a decision comes the need for alternatives, which is where eco-friendly construction materials will play a huge role such as replacing traditional bricks with concrete blocks.
Concrete blocks are lightweight, provide thermal insulation, protect interiors from noise pollution by absorbing sound better, and offer protection against fire and water, while the construction is more systematic, faster, and stronger compared to traditional bricks. Essentially, the new-generation building blocks are eco-friendly and much more affordable, and the decision to ensure 100% use of concrete blocks is promising.
What is now integral is that all this planning does not devolve to merely empty words. We want to see the phasing out of brick kilns by the year proposed, and conversely, we want to see better building material replace it, so we can eliminate one major factor for Dhaka’s unbearable air pollution once and for all.
