Illegal brick kilns in Bandarban

As per a report published in this paper on December 15, dozens of illegal brick kilns are using firewood from the forests in Bandarban Sadar upazila to make bricks. This is in direct violation of 'The Brick Making and Kiln Establishment (Control) Act – 2013' that came into effect in 2014. While kiln owners make hay flouting the law, the burning of firewood poses health risks for humans as air pollution increases and it speeds up deforestation in the locality. We fail to understand precisely why the relevant authorities are not stepping in to stop the 50 or so kilns that are said to be operating in the area. There are no jurisdictional problems between different agencies that we know of which is sometimes used as an excuse for lack of action. Yet, as we know, the Act that came into effect from November 2014 specifically to prevent the use of agricultural and hill lands to make bricks, and there is really no reason for the relevant department not to take necessary steps to stop the pollution.

Given that it takes an average of 7.4 tons of raw wood to fire up each kiln, we are looking at an average of 373 tons of felled trees per day. This is a recipe for disaster in the hils. It is obvious that what is going on in Bandarban Sadar would not have been possible without the connivance of unscrupulous officials. But then, this is hardly news. The question is precisely what the district administration is going to do about it, should allegations of illegal kilns prove to be true.