A large number of brick kilns continue to operate illegally in Kushtia, openly flouting government regulations.
According to the Department of Environment (DoE), among the 213 brick kilns across the district’s six upazilas, only 17 have valid environmental clearance. The remaining 196 are operating entirely illegally.
Despite lacking environmental clearance, many kiln owners are reportedly “managing” the administration and running their operations with impunity—causing severe damage to agricultural land, depleting forest resources and disrupting local livelihoods.
Of the legal kilns, three are in Veramara, one in Daulatpur, nine in Kumarkhali and four in Khoksa. There are no legal brick kilns at all in Kushtia Sadar or Mirpur upazila.
The DoE also said action cannot be taken against 21 kilns for now because their owners have filed writ petitions with the High Court.
Locals complain that government rules strictly prohibit damaging agricultural land to set up brick kilns, yet each kiln in the district has destroyed at least three to four acres of fertile land.
As in previous years, many kilns have already begun extracting soil from croplands and riverbeds ahead of the brick-making season. This is reducing food production and putting agriculture and the environment at serious risk.
Afzal Hossain, a farmer, said, “The brick kilns are ruining our land. They are cutting trees for firewood. The smoke and ash from the kilns are damaging crops and harming people’s health.”
A legal kiln owner, requesting anonymity, said, “Because of the strong syndicate of brick kiln owners, lobbying and financial influence, the administration cannot take strict action. Many have also complicated the situation by filing writs in the High Court.”
Environmental researcher Gautam Kumar Roy said that of the nearly 10,000 brick kilns in the country, around 4,000 are illegal.
“About 95% of these kilns burn firewood, destroying around 2.5 million metric tons of wood every year. This causes severe damage to soil fertility, air quality and the overall environment. Block bricks should be adopted as an alternative immediately,” he added.
Shahin Ali, general secretary of the Kushtia Brick Kiln Owners’ Association, claimed that, except for a few, most of the 73 kilns under their group use coal.
On the issue of environmental clearance, he said, “No one in Bangladesh has environmental clearance. We regularly pay revenue to the government. The Department of Environment stopped issuing clearance during the fascist Hasina administration.”
Regarding the issue, Md Imdadul Haque, deputy director of the Department of Environment in Kushtia, said that drives against illegal brick kilns have already begun and will be carried out at all kilns in phases.
Additional District Commissioner (General) Md Jahangir Alam told The Business Standard, “All illegal brick kilns will be demolished in phases.” When asked about the timeline, he declined to comment and referred the question to the deputy commissioner.
Locals are demanding swift and stringent action to stop the severe damage illegal brick kilns are causing to Kushtia’s agriculture, environment and public health.