Meeting deadline increasingly unlikely

With June 2014 closing in fast as the deadline set by the government for all polluting brick kilns to convert to more environmentally friendly standards, we find that a mere 30 per cent of existing fields have complied. Now that there is precious little time left, we are most certainly going to see yet another extension given to the industry. However, will a time extension solve the problems associated with traditional Fixed Chimney Kilns that contribute some 40 per cent of the air pollution around Dhaka?
Serious differences of opinion exist between owners and the regulator. Although the conversion to cleaner energy is being helped by UNDP's “Green Brick Project”, the fact that the rate of conversion is falling short is hardly surprising since there are some 8,000 fields in operation. Indeed, the Brick Making and Kiln Establishment (Control) Act 2013 is said to be vague on what constitutes “energy efficient non-polluting technology”. With such loopholes, many field owners have expended considerable finance to convert to greener technology that was later found to be faulty in design.
One cannot overlook the fact that a typical brick field's conversion to newer, more environmentally-friendly technology entails a cost of anywhere between Tk. 6-7million. Hence, the government must make a commitment that the law will not be changed somewhere down the line to requiring brick field owners to undertake another new round of conversion. This coupled with making available access to finance for the industry will have far better results than issuing threats of closing down kilns.