Monday | 13 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Monday | 13 January 2025 | Epaper

Brickfields pose life-risk to Santhia  people

Published : Friday, 6 January, 2023 at 12:00 AM  Count : 318
Jalal Uddin
SANTHIA, PABNA, Jan 5: The agriculture land is decreasing with crop damage due to pollution by black smoke emitting from brickfields in Santhia Upazila of the district. It is
causing health risk also.
These illegal brick fields cannot be stopped by conducting mobile court. Wood is freely burnt in these fields. The local environment is losing its diversity. Life is getting jeopardised.
According to field sources, brickfields have been illegally set up in croplands, residential areas and beside educational institutions in the upazila.
There are seven/eight brickfields in croplands, living areas, beside educational institutions and road in different areas of the upazila including Selonda, Dhulaura, Patgari, Kashinathpur, Ataikula, and Samannyapara.
According to clause-8 of the Preparation-of-brick-and-kiln-establishment-(control)-Act-2013, brick kiln cannot be established within one kilometre distance of living area, agriculture land, and educational institution. But these kilns have been set up without following that instruction.
A visit found Safari Sardar Brickfield in front of Samannya Para Government Primary School. Head Teacher of the school Afsar Ali said, children are getting affected by different diseases including tough breathing because of black smoke releasing from drum chimney of the kiln. Despite informing it to the highest authorities, there is no remedy, he added.   
Local dwellers including Korban, Baten, Moyjal and others said, they and their children are becoming sick because of black smoke of burnt bricks in kilns. Crops, fruity and woody trees are damaged.
Farmer Sohrab Hossain of Samannya Para said, the place where is now brick kiln was cropland. He would cultivate this land taking lease from its owner. But the brick kiln owner has taken lease of the land at a big amount of money. Now he has no land for cropping.  
Beside the chimney of the brick kiln, three transformers have been installed with an electric pole. These transformers can cause incident any time. Labourers and locals are under threat.
Its Proprietor Abdul Halim said, according to the act, necessary papers have been submitted.
But, according to the sources, these brick kilns don't have legal papers.
Santhia Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Sujoy Saha said, brick kilns' back smoke and dust can cause different diseases to people, such as lung cancer, and respiratory allergy.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Sanjib Kumar Goswami said, because of establishing brick kilns in agriculture lands, the land-size is decreasing while soil is losing its fertility.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO)-Pabna Kashapi Bikash Chandra said, "I have heard about burning wood in brick kilns. I have instructed upazila-level officials to conduct campaign in association with the upazila administration."
Ispector of the Department of Environment-Pabna Nazrul Islam said, at present, letter of clearance has not been given to any brick kiln in the district.
Santhia Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Masud Hossain said, already they have been fined by mobile court on charge of burning weed, ignoring the rules and regulations, and instructed them for running kilns according to rules.
If anyone does not follow the instructions, legal action will be taken against them, the UNO maintained.







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