82 brick kilns have been set up in the last two years in greater Faridpur violating rules and regulations and destroying huge farmlands in the region according to a recent report.
Owners of these brick kilns are running their business illegally threatening the ecosystem as there is no monitoring by the Department of Environment (DoE), Faridpur.
As per the Burning of Brick (Control) Amendment Act, 2010, it is illegal to set up a brick kiln within three kilometres of a farmland, a forest, a township and an area with human habitation.
Sources at the DoE said currently 377 brick kilns exist in five districts of greater Faridpur. Eighty-two of the brick kilns have been built in the last two years.
Lutfar Rahman, a deputy director at DoE, Faridpur said there are 2 unauthorised brick kilns in Faridpur, 10 in Goplaganj, 9 in Madaripur and 41 in Rajbari.
Replying to a question about shrinking croplands due to the growing brick kilns, the official said they provide permission for setting up brick kilns on one-crop land, not two or three-crop ones.
The number of brick kilns in nine upazilas of the district counts to more than 100.
In the past three years, 29 new brick kilns have been set up in the district posing a serious threat to the environment.
The local administration conducted several drives and fined the owners of brick kilns but the methods could not stop their activities permanently, villagers said.
Katrik Chandra Chakraborty, additional director of the Department of Agriculture Extension, said excessive heat from the brickfields have been causing harm to nearby croplands, reports UNB.
Chakraborty stressed the importance of strict enforcement of relevant laws to ensure setting up of illegal brick kilns.