No traditional brick kiln after September
Hasan Mahmud tells JS
No traditional brick kiln will be allowed to operate after September this year as they cause a huge environment pollution by emitting carbon, Environment and Forests Minister Hasan Mahmud told parliament yesterday.
“All traditional brick kilns will have to use environment-friendly technology like "Zigzag" or "Hoffman system" which emits less carbon,” the minister said replying to lawmakers' queries.
Information available shows there are over 6,000 brick kilns in the country and most of them use old technology emitting 8.75 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Hasan Mahmud said considering the alarming situation, the government has planned to reduce annual emission of carbon from brick kilns by 50 per cent through replacing all traditional brick kilns with environmental-friendly ones.
“We will take stern action if owners of traditional brick kilns fail to transform their brick kilns into modern ones,” he said.
He said existing brick kilns with century-old technology now use coal with high level of sulphur and firewood causing serious air pollution.
“But a kiln with modern technology can help reduce the pollution level,” he went on.
About the protection of the Sundarbans, he said, encouraging social forestation has significantly reduced felling of trees by thieves.
“Not a single tree was felled by thieves in the last one or two years in the Sundarbans,” he added.
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