Illegal charcoal kilns threaten farmland, health at Saghata

GAIBANDHA, Sept 28: More than a hundred illegal charcoal kilns have been operating in Kamalerpara Union of Saghata Upazila, with many built amid residential areas and three-crop farmland, posing a serious threat to the environment and public health.

Although the Department of Environment issued legal notices three months ago ordering the closure of the kilns, their operations have continued, allegedly due to weak enforcement and the silence of the authorities concerned.

According to locals, a powerful syndicate involved in burning wood to produce charcoal has become increasingly active, taking advantage of what they described as token drives by the administration.

A recent field visit found more than a hundred illegal kilns operating round the clock in Bangabari, Gargaria and Kinkarpur areas of Kamalerpara Union.

Several reports on the issue have appeared in local and national media, but locals said administrative action has remained largely ineffective. Recently, authorities demolished one kiln in Kathaltali, but kilns in nearby Gargaria and Bangabari continued to burn wood at full capacity.

Locals alleged that drives by the upazila administration were merely “for show”. They said fire service personnel occasionally accompanied officials and removed some bricks from the kilns, but no fines were imposed and no cases were filed.

According to them, the kilns resume operations within two or three days of such drives, allegedly with the backing of influential people.

The illegal kilns are also fuelling the indiscriminate felling of fruit, forest and medicinal trees, residents said. Thick black smoke from the kilns hangs over the area day and night, causing breathing difficulties, coughs, colds and eye problems, particularly among children and elderly people.

Farmers said the smoke and gases were also affecting crops. Rice panicles are losing their colour, mango and jackfruit blossoms are falling prematurely, and soil fertility is deteriorating, they alleged.

The Department of Environment issued legal notices on June 17 ordering the closure of the illegal kilns. But three months later, no effective action has been taken against most of them.

This has raised questions among locals over why the notices have not been enforced and whether any unofficial understanding is preventing action.

The lack of coordination among government agencies is also evident.

Asked about the matter, the Saghata Upazila Nirbahi Officer said the administration would provide a magistrate if the Department of Environment requested one.

Earlier, Assistant Director of the Department of Environment in Gaibandha Azharul Islam had said all the kilns would be demolished in phases.

However, residents said no significant action has been visible despite the passage of considerable time.

Environmental activists and affected residents demanded immediate legal action against the owners of the kilns who received notices.

They called for cases under environmental laws and arrests where applicable, along with the seizure of stockpiled wood and exemplary financial penalties.

They also demanded regular monitoring of the area to prevent the kilns from reopening after enforcement drives.