It is shameful to learn that government drives to shut down brick kilns and bring them in line with the regulations implemented to curb their pollutant effects have failed.
For decades now, brick kilns have been the major driver of air pollution in the country. And it is truly shocking to learn that, as per reports, around 1,500 brick kilns have been set up in the last four years, a majority of these operating without environmental certifications or in direct violation of the brick kiln regulation acts.
While authorities had reportedly shut down an approximate 1,000 brick kilns so far, around 75% of them are up and running again. In total, there are over 7,000 brick kilns in the country, and over 4,000 are illegal and harm the environment in some way.
To say that we need a change would be an understatement.
Time and time again, our air quality has been ranked the worst in the world. What's more is that these brick kilns require more than 13 crore metric tons of dirt annually. Most of this dirt comes at the expense of agriculture, as the dirt is supplied by excavating the fertile soil found on farmland.
If this goes on, not only will we have to deal with poisonous air, but eventually, we will run into issues with food.
As such, the authorities must take a harder stance on this. Not only must drives to identify and shut down illegal brick kilns be increased, but we must ensure that once a kiln has been shut down, they don't spring up again. Additionally, everyone that is associated with these illegal activities must be brought to book.
Bangladesh wants to become Smart Bangladesh. That will not happen when brick kilns continue to poison our air.
