Brick kilns are being set up on the triple-cropping land in Mirzapur upazila of Tangail, which is directly against the Brick Manufacturing and Kiln Establishment (Control) Act.
According to the Department of Environment (DoE) 45 of the total 105 brick kilns in Mirzapur are illegal.
Under Brick Manufacturing and Kiln Establishment (Control) Act 2013, amended in 2018, brick kilns cannot be set up in residential, protected, and commercial areas, city corporations, municipal towns, upazila centers, or on triple-cropping agricultural land. Despite this law, illegal brick kilns continued to operate, and their closure has become imperative. Currently, most of these brick kilns are located in rural areas.
The law clearly prohibits the establishment of brick kilns on triple-cropping land. However, numerous kilns have been built on such land in Mirzapur. The main reason for this is the easy availability of land, soil, and wood, which are the essential materials for brick production. Additionally, kiln owners are able to establish brick kilns even on triple-cropping land due to the corrupt practices of certain officials at the Department of Environment. These illegal, unregulated brick kilns pose a severe threat to the environment and public health.
If the government's conditions for brick kiln construction were properly enforced, brick kilns would not have been set up so frequently, damaging the environment. One of the critical conditions is that no brick kiln can be built within a 2-kilometer radius of educational institutions, hospitals, or residential areas. The toxic smoke from these kilns is disrupting the ecological balance.
Dr Faridul Islam, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer, said that the black smoke from brick kilns reduces the human body's immune system, leading to the development of various chronic and fatal diseases.
Mia Mahmodul Hoque, Deputy Director of Tangail Department of Environment, confirmed that there are 105 brick kilns in Mirzapur. He reiterated that brick kilns should not be constructed on triple-cropping land, and necessary steps will be taken to shut down these illegal kilns through mobile court operations.
ABM Ariful Islam, the Upazila Executive Officer, said that an operation will soon be conducted by the upazila administration to identify and take action against brick kilns on three-crop land, bringing them under legal control.
