While Bangladesh has been dedicated towards actively fighting against environmental hazards, we are yet to eradicate some major risks that persist in our country.
One such threat has been the exponential rise of brick kilns in the country over the last decade. The use of bricks and brick kilns has been instrumental in construction, and despite there being many signs of the extreme pollution and damage they cause to the environment, we have so far been unable to find a suitable substitute.
Which is why it is reassuring that the government has decided to make bank loans accessible to those involved in the production of environment-friendly bricks, as announced on Wednesday by the Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister, Shahab Uddin.
This is absolutely a fitting move for our nation, especially at this stage where we are collectively working towards curtailing environmental risks.
Eco-friendly bricks are, undeniably, the future, and can effectively reduce the adverse effects that brick kilns continue to have on us. This is also in line with the government's plans to use eco-friendly bricks for the construction of government structures by 2025.
Illegal brick kilns have been a matter of contention for a long time, as this newspaper has editorialized numerous times. The detrimental effects these entail contribute to a significant portion of the air pollution, and other risks to the environment and our people's health.
To that end, the government must go forward with this necessary initiative, and also find more ways to implement the widespread use of eco-friendly bricks moving forward. This will help bring operations of illegal brick kilns to an end, which will also allow us to move closer to our sustainable development goals.
It is this kind of proactive thinking that we need, and it is crucial that we remain steadfast on our mission to build a prosperous nation.
