Biodiversity
Is There Any Alternative to Brick Kilns?
For centuries, brick kilns, characterised by fiery chimneys and billowing smoke, have played a key role in the construction industry. Despite their contribution in providing essential building materials, their operations entail harmful impacts on human health, biodiversity and environment.
What is a Brick Kiln?
A brick kiln is a specialised facility used in the production of bricks, fundamental building blocks for construction. These kilns play a vital role in shaping the urban landscape. The process involves heating clay or other materials in furnaces to create bricks and contributes to the growth of infrastructure. However, the traditional methods employed in brick kilns can have environmental and health consequences, making it imperative to explore sustainable alternatives and technologies.
Impacts of Brick Kiln on Health
Particulate Matter Emissions
Brick kilns pose a major health risk due to the emission of particulate matter, including pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Inhaling these pollutants can irritate the lungs, leading to coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Prolonged exposure may contribute to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Read more: 9 illegal brick kilns shut down, fined Tk 47 lakh in Sirajganj
Respiratory Issues
Prolonged exposure to emissions from brick kilns can lead to a range of respiratory problems. From workers within the kilns to residents in nearby communities, the inhalation of pollutants can result in asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory ailments.
Occupational Health Risks
Workers directly involved in brick kiln operations face occupational health risks due to exposure to high temperatures, dust, and pollutants. Adequate safety measures and protective equipment are crucial to mitigating these risks.
Cardiovascular Problems
Brick kiln fumes, laden with pollutants, can obstruct arteries, elevate blood pressure, and disturb heart rhythms. These adverse effects heighten the likelihood of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure, underlining the severe cardiovascular risks associated with exposure.
Read more: 4 brick kilns shut down for polluting air in South Keraniganj
Skin Problems
Dust and irritants emanating from brick kilns inflict skin torment on workers, causing rashes, itching, and burns. The daily grind leaves exposed skin raw, rendering workers vulnerable and uncomfortable in their work environment.
Cancer
Inhaling brick kiln fumes conceal invisible dangers, harbouring carcinogens that escalate cancer risks over time. Exposed workers face heightened threats of lung, skin, and other cancers, emphasising the risks associated with prolonged exposure.
‘Will work to be Number 1 in performance among all ministries’: Saber H. Chowdhury
In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with UNB, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury (SHC) shares insights on the priorities and challenges with which he steps into his new role. The interview took place in the minister’s office at the Secretariat earlier this week:
UNB: What do you see as challenges facing the ministry?
SHC: I think coordinating with all the ministries to protect the environment, or to control water, air and noise pollution, is the biggest challenge. Because, the Department of Environment only sets the standards. As a ministry, we identify problems. But enforcement is not solely our responsibility. Various ministries and departments of the government need to work collaboratively on this matter.
When it comes to dealing with climate change, many other departments of the government, and a number of ministries such as food, water resources, commerce, local government, industry, are involved. So the government has to take that overall responsibility. We work on the coordination efforts.
UNB: What will be your first priority?
SHC: First of all, we are emphasising on identifying how much capacity we have to work on the issues. Does the ministry and agencies under it have the requisite capacity for certain tasks? The name of our ministry is the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Biodiversity is a big issue that needs focus, but it's not in the ministry structure. Therefore, the capacity of the ministry is important to identify.
UNB: Bangladesh is one of the most affected countries due to climate change. What plans do you have in this field?
SHC: Climate change is one of the three issues of the ministry. It's global, we have no hand in it. But we are the most affected. Our strategy is to do as much as we can to reduce the effects of climate change and stand on the side of people. Although we do not have control over carbon emissions, we are not getting the amount of money we are supposed to get. Developed countries or donors do not keep the promises they made in terms of funding.
Proper use of the limited money given to them has to be ensured. We have to implement the action plans that we have in the field of climate change with transparency and cost-effectiveness.
Though Bangladesh is not responsible for climate change, it is one of the worst sufferers of the adverse impacts of climate change. We will work to build global public opinion against climate change.
True sustainable development is not possible without the development of the environment. Therefore, the policies and ideals of Bangladesh will have to be implemented to protect the environment. Despite various global economic and environmental problems, we will work under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to provide a livable environment and a better life to the people of Bangladesh.
Read more: Macron says France will sign agreement with Bangladesh to finance climate-change adaptation, loss and damage in first half of 2024
UNB: What plans do you have to protect the environment?
SHC: We're facing a lot of challenges in the environment. Every year many people die prematurely due to air pollution. Years are being lost from our lives, productivity is being destroyed. There is nothing new to say about it.
So when we talk about sustainable development, the issue of the environment comes into the mainstream. River pollution is a major challenge. Hills are being destroyed. How do we take effective action there? Everyone says it has to stop. But how? ETP plans have been installed in various places. In reality, we have seen that in many cases ETP plans are not maintained. It is launched just before the inspector’s visit. And even if they find violations, the penalty is not punitive enough. It needs to be updated.
I will say though, that the environment and forests are completely under our control. We can't blame anyone else for that. If there is any pollution in these two cases, we are solely responsible for it. Deforestation occurs on a greater scale in Bangladesh than in the rest of the world. So one of the focus points is the conservation of the forest. Another is the restoration of encroached forests.
If the forested area can be expanded, that's also a big deal. The forest is not just a tree, it is also about biodiversity. The whole ecosystem is related. While doing development work, many people say that if 5,000 trees are cut, we will plant 50,000 trees. But that can never actually compensate for what is lost. Because it's not just a tree, it's biodiversity.
UNB: How do you plan to ensure proper use and transparency of climate funds?
SHC: We will ensure that the allocated money actually reaches the affected people. Maximum efforts will be made to bring allocation from the International Loss and Damage Fund at the earliest, followed by its maximum utilisation, and we will ensure transparency in the use of climate fund money.
UNB: Brick kilns are responsible for the majority of air pollution in the capital, which regularly features near the top of the world’s most polluted cities. Do you have any specific plan to address this, as well as the damage they cause to the environment?
SHC: Effective measures will be taken against air pollution to protect public health. To this end, legal action will be taken against the air polluting brick kilns. Work will be done in coordination with the concerned ministries and agencies to control air pollution in Dhaka city. Other factors responsible for air pollution will also be controlled on a scientific basis.
‘Brick Kiln Tracker’ will be used to help identify environmental pollutants and illegal brick kilns and take appropriate legal actions against them. As a result, it will be easy to stop illegal activities by identifying the harmful brick kilns on priority basis. As a result, it will be possible to reduce air pollution caused by brick kilns.
The Department of Environment and National University of Singapore (NUS) have jointly developed the Brick Kiln Tracker based on IT and remote sensing technology. With the help of this latest technology using Artificial Intelligence, the monitoring and enforcement activities of the Department of Environment will be strengthened and successful.
UNB: What initiatives will you take to ease the process of obtaining environmental clearance, that has become a cumbersome process for citizens?
SHC: All necessary initiatives will be taken so that people can get services in time. We plan to simplify the process of obtaining environmental clearance certificates to reduce public suffering. At the same time no irregularities will be tolerated in the issuance of clearance.
UNB: What can we expect in the upcoming 100-day work plan?
SHC: The 100-day action plan will be announced next week. A 100-day work plan will be implemented incorporating various priority activities of the ministry. In particular, necessary steps will be taken to solve the problems of air pollution, noise pollution, water pollution, plastic-polythene pollution and hill cutting. Bangladesh Awami League's election manifesto and Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan will be implemented on priority basis.
The law will be properly implemented for sustainable development and prevention of forest encroachment. International funding will be attempted. We will work to take the Ministry of Environment, Forest, Climate Change to number 1 (among all the ministries) in terms of performance. Transparency and accountability will be established in the activities of the ministry. Besides, active participation of the concerned ministries and departments is needed to prevent environmental pollution, so we will work in coordination with other ministries.
Read more: Hasina’s return to power will be welcomed in Global South: Policy analyst Kugelman
Special programme taken to protect biodiversity of Halda River: Minister
The government has taken a special programme to protect the biodiversity of the Halda River, said Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin on Wednesday.
“An action plan will be prepared to implement this programme and once it is implemented, it can be possible to protect biodiversity of 94 kilometer areas of the river,” he said while talking to reporters after attending the 2nd meeting of National Biodiversity Committee, held at the Secretariat.
Not only of the Halda River, the government is working to protect the biodiversity of all regions of the country, said Shahab.
He also stressed the need for cooperation of people from all walks of life to protect biodiversity.
Deputy Minister of the Ministry Begum Habibun Nahar, Secretary Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Additional Secretary (Environment) Sanjay Kumar Bhowmik, Director General of Department of Environment Dr. Abdul Hamid, Chief Conservator of Forests Department of Forests Md. Amir Hossain Chowdhury and representatives of various ministries, departments and research institutes spoke at the meeting.
Read more: Neglect endangering red-listed dolphins in Halda River
After receiving the recommendation by the technical committee of the Ministry of Health, It has been decided to send the Vibrio cholerae biological sample responsible for cholera disease to The Wellcome Sanger Institute in Britain as per ICDDRB's request for joint research.
Findings from this research will enable Bangladesh to conduct advanced research on the cholera genome that will help eliminate cholera.
UN ocean treaty talks resume with goal to save biodiversity
United Nations members gather Monday in New York to resume efforts to forge a long-awaited and elusive treaty to safeguard the world's marine biodiversity.
Nearly two-thirds of the ocean lies outside national boundaries on the high seas where fragmented and unevenly enforced rules seek to minimize human impacts.
The goal of the U.N. meetings, running through March 3, is to produce a unified agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of those vast marine ecosystems. The talks, formally called the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, resume negotiations suspended last fall without agreement on a final treaty.
“The ocean is the life support system of our planet,” said Boris Worm, a marine biologist at Canada’s Dalhousie University. “For the longest time, we did not feel we had a large impact on the high seas. But that notion has changed with expansion of deep sea fishing, mining, plastic pollution, climate change,” and other human disturbances, he said.
The U.N. talks will focus on key questions, including: How should the boundaries of marine protected areas be drawn, and by whom? How should institutions assess the environmental impacts of commercial activities, such as shipping and mining? And who has the power to enforce rules?
“This is our largest global commons,” said Nichola Clark, an oceans expert who follows the negotiations for the nonpartisan Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C. “We are optimistic that this upcoming round of negotiations will be the one to get a treaty over the finish line.”
The aim of the talks is not to actually designate marine protected areas, but to establish a mechanism for doing so. “The goal is to set up a new body that would accept submissions for specific marine protected areas,” Clark said.
Marine biologist Simon Ingram at the University of Plymouth in England says there's an urgent need for an accord. “It’s a really pressing time for this — especially when you have things like deep-sea mining that could be a real threat to biodiversity before we’ve even been able to survey and understand what lives on the ocean floor,” Ingram said.
Experts say that a global oceans treaty is needed to actually enforce the U.N. Biodiversity Conference's recent pledge to protect 30% of the planet's oceans, as well as its land, for conservation.
“We need a legally binding framework that can enable countries to work together to actually achieve these goals they've agreed to,” said Jessica Battle, an expert on oceans governance at World Wide Fund for Nature
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina said the treaty was a priority for the country. “This agreement seeks to create, for the first time, a coordinated approach to establishing marine protected areas on the high seas,” she said. "It’s time to finish the job.”
Officials, environmentalists and representatives of global industries that depend on the sea are also watching negotiations closely.
Gemma Nelson, a lawyer from Samoa who is currently an Ocean Voices fellow at the University of Edinburgh, said that small Pacific and Caribbean island countries were “especially vulnerable to global ocean issues,” such as pollution and climate change, which generally they did not cause nor have the resources to easily address.
“Getting the traditional knowledge of local people and communities recognized as valid” is also essential to protect both ecosystems and the ways of life of Indigenous groups, she said.
With nearly half the planet's surface covered by high seas, the talks are of great importance, said Gladys Martínez de Lemos, executive director of the nonprofit Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense focusing on environmental issues across Latin America.
“The treaty should be strong and ambitious, having the authority to establish high and fully protected areas in the high seas,” she said. “Half of the world is at stake these weeks at the United Nations.”
UN: Revive, restore wetlands, home to 40% of all biodiversity
Although coastal and freshwater wetlands – such as swamps, mangroves and marshes – contain 40 percent of all plant and animal species, many are polluted or degraded due to climate change and human development.
On World Wetlands Day Thursday, the UN called for urgent action to revive and restore these ecosystems, which are disappearing three times faster than forests.
Wetlands cover roughly six percent of the Earth's land surface and are vital for human health, food supply, tourism and jobs.
More than a billion people worldwide depend on them for their livelihoods, while their shallow waters and abundant plant life support everything from insects to ducks to moose.
Wetlands also play a crucial role in both achieving sustainable development and the fight against climate change.
They provide essential ecosystem services such as water regulation, and reducing the impact of flooding, for example.
Peatlands, a particular type of vegetated wetland, store twice as much carbon as forests.
However, over the past 200 years, wetlands have been drained to make way for farmland or infrastructure development, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Roughly 35 percent of all wetlands globally disappeared between 1970 and 2015, and the rate of loss has been accelerating since the year 2000.
Depending on the amount of climate-related sea level rise, some 20 to 90 percent of current coastal wetlands could be gone by the end of the century, the UNEP said.
Wetlands have also suffered more biodiversity loss than other land and marine ecosystems.
Leticia Carvalho, head of the agency's Marine and Freshwater Branch, urged governments to end policies and subsidies that incentivise deforestation and wetlands degradation, and urgently focus on restoration.
Read more: Historic biodiversity agreement reached at U.N. conference
"At the same time, we must guide and drive investments to protect priority ecosystems, such as peatlands, and encourage the private sector to commit to deforestation and peatland-drainage-free supply chains," she added.
Recently, governments have been stepping up efforts to protect wetlands.
At the UN Biodiversity Conference in December, countries agreed a landmark deal to protect a third of the planet's lands, coastal areas and inland waters by 2030.
Action to restore wetlands is gathering momentum around the world. For example, China is developing the "sponge cities" concept, in the face of rapid urbanisation and intensified climate hazards, including flooding.
Initiatives include "green" rooves, constructed wetlands and pavements that capture, slow down and filter stormwater.
Historic biodiversity agreement reached at U.N. conference
Negotiators reached a historic deal at a U.N. biodiversity conference early Monday that would represent the most significant effort to protect the world’s lands and oceans and provide critical financing to save biodiversity in the developing world.
The global framework comes a day before the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, or COP15, is set to end in Montreal. China, which holds the presidency at this conference, released a new draft earlier in the day that gave the sometimes contentious talks much-needed momentum.
The most significant part of the agreement is a commitment to protect 30% of land and water considered important for biodiversity by 2030. Currently, 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine areas are protected.
“There has never been a conservation goal globally at this scale,“ Brian O’Donnell, the director of the conservation group Campaign for Nature, told reporters. “This puts us within a chance of safeguarding biodiversity from collapse ... We’re now within the range that scientists think can make a marked difference in biodiversity.”
The draft also calls for raising $200 billion by 2030 for biodiversity from a range of sources and working to phase out or reform subsidies that could provide another $500 billion for nature. As part of the financing package, the framework calls for increasing to at least $20 billion annually by 2025 the money that goes to poor countries — or about double what is currently provided. That number would increase to $30 billion each year by 2030.
Some advocates wanted tougher language around subsidies that make food and fuel so cheap in many parts of the world. The document only calls for identifying subsidies by 2025 that can be reformed or phased out and working to reduce them by 2030.
Read: UN chief appeals for more fund from developed countries to help preserve biodiversity
“The new text is a mixed bag,” Andrew Deutz, director of global policy, institutions and conservation finance for The Nature Conservancy, said. “It contains some strong signals on finance and biodiversity but it fails to advance beyond the targets of 10 years ago in terms of addressing drivers of biodiversity loss in productive sectors like agriculture, fisheries, and infrastructure and thus still risks being fully transformational.”
The ministers and government officials from about 190 countries have mostly agreed that protecting biodiversity has to be a priority, with many comparing those efforts to climate talks that wrapped up last month in Egypt.
Climate change coupled with habitat loss, pollution and development have hammered the world’s biodiversity, with one estimate in 2019 warning that a million plant and animal species face extinction within decades — a rate of loss 1,000 times greater than expected. Humans use about 50,000 wild species routinely, and 1 out of 5 people of the world’s 8 billion population depend on those species for food and income, the report said.
But they have struggled for nearly two weeks to agree on what that protection looks like and who will pay for it.
The financing has been among the most contentions issues, with delegates from 70 African, South American and Asian countries walking out of negotiations Wednesday. They returned several hours later.
Brazil, speaking for developing countries during the week, said in a statement that a new funding mechanism dedicated to biodiversity should be established and that developed countries provide $100 billion annually in financial grants to emerging economies until 2030.
Read: UN chief calls for greater ambition to reverse biodiversity loss
“All the elements are in there for a balance of unhappiness which is the secret to achieving agreement in U.N. bodies,” Pierre du Plessis, a negotiator from Namibia who is helping coordinate the African group, told The Associated Press. “Everyone got a bit of what they wanted, not necessarily everything they wanted. Let’s see if there is there is a spirit of unity.”
Others praised the fact the document recognizes the rights of Indigenous communities. In past biodiversity documents, indigenous rights were often ignored and they rarely were part of the larger discussions other than a reference to their traditional knowledge. The framework would reaffirm the rights of Indigenous peoples and ensure they have a voice in any decision making.
“It’s important for the rights of Indigenous peoples to be there, and while it’s not the exact wording of that proposal in the beginning, we feel that it is a good compromise and that it addresses the concerns that we have,” Jennifer Corpuz, a representative of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity said. “We believe that it’s a good basis for us to be able to implement policy at the national level.”
But the Wildlife Conservation Society and other environmental groups were concerned that the draft puts off until 2050 a goal of preventing the extinction of species, preserving the integrity of ecosystems and maintaining the genetic diversity within populations. They fear that timeline is not ambitions enough.
UN chief appeals for more fund from developed countries to help preserve biodiversity
Developed countries must provide bold financial support for the countries of the Global South as custodians of the world's natural wealth, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said here on Tuesday.
Addressing a ceremonial opening of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Guterres said that international financial institutions and multilateral development banks must align their portfolios with the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
"We cannot expect developing countries to shoulder the burden alone," he said.
Read: Peace is the only practical way to a better, fairer world for all: UN Chief
The secretary-general also called for the implementation of national plans that would divert subsidies and tax breaks away from activities that can destroy nature, as well as the recognition and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
He argued that the private sector should recognize that profit and protection go hand-in-hand.
"It is up to us to accept responsibility for the damage we have caused, and take action to fix it. The deluded dreams of billionaires aside, there is no Planet B," said the secretary-general.
Govt conducting plant species survey: Minister
Bangladesh National Herbarium (BNH), an organisation under Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry, is conducting a plant species survey in order to conserve the country's biodiversity and to protect forest and environment.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin said this at a workshop on plant species survey project of Barishal and Sylhet division held at Bangladesh National Herbarium in the city on Thursday.
It is necessary to know the statistics of the country's plant species for the conservation and sustainable management of plant species in all the ecosystems of the country, he said.
He said it is possible to know the updated statistics, location and conservation status of the country's plant resources only through a complete plant survey.
“The results obtained from the plant survey will play an important role in the country's botanical education and research, sustainable management and use of plant diversity, identification of endangered plant species and their protection, and formulation of national biodiversity conservation strategies and action plans and in achieving SDG goals,” said the minister.
Read:Balance development with environment, PM tells at event on World Environment Day
“Also all this information may be used in Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Ramsar Convention on Wetlands,” Shahab Uddin added.
In this project, about 70,000 plant samples will be collected and two books containing information will be published and all information will be prepared and published on the website as an e-database for determining the actual status of the plant resources of Barishal and Sylhet divisions, documenting diversity, conservation and balanced use, through scientific survey at the field level.
Regarding the plant diversity, he said Barishal is an ever-changing in terms of plant diversity. The number of plant species in this category is estimated to be more than 1000, he said.
The number of plant species of Sylhet division is known to be more than 1500.
“However, no comprehensive survey of flora diversity of Sylhet division has been completed yet,” he said.
Earlier, BNH has completed a thorough survey of the vascular plant species of Greater Chittagong and the Chittagong Hill Tracts, writing floristic documents and preserving specimens through the implementation of a project titled 'Survey of Vascular Flora of Chittagong and the Chittagong Hill Tracts'.
Brick kilns threaten environment & cause health hazards in south-western Bangladesh
The environment and the biodiversity in the south-western region of the country face damage and pollution due to illegal brick kilns built on the locality as well as along the river banks.
In addition, people in the region are at serious health risk from the smoke, gas and dust emitted from these brick kilns, according to experts.
Besides, the Rupsha River is shrinking; its direction is changing. Although these brick kilns are operated freely, the higher authorities are silent.
Read: HC asks govt to pull down 130 illegal brick kilns in CHT
However, these illegal kilns were not demolished even though fines were imposed through mobile courts from time to time.
According to the locals, they are suffering from variouscdiseases such as cold, cough and respiratory problem due to the toxic smoke of the brick kiln near their house. The yields from the trees and lands are also declining.
According to the list of the Department of Environment (DoE), there are 63 legal brickfields in Rupsha, 20 in Dumuria, five in Batiaghata, nine in Terkhada and three in Dighalia. There are allegations that the brick kilns are enlisted by the DoE even after being built in a densely populated area within 200 meters from the educational institutions.
Besides, UNB correspondent came to know that more than 50 brick kilns have been illegally built in Paikgacha, Fultala and Koira including those five upazilas. There are allegations that the local administration is not playing a significant role in demolishing those even after they have been removed from the list of the DoE.
Bricks are being burnt in 14 kilns including ARB Bricks, Jamuna Bricks, SKB Bricks at Paikgacha upazila. None of these are listed on the DoE list and are being operated in the densely populated areas and on agricultural lands. But, the upazila administration said seven kilns have licenses in this upazila. Meanwhile, six brick kiln owners in this upazila were fined Tk 2,40,000 this year.
There are several kilns including Fultala Super Bricks, JB Bricks, United Bricks, Prince Bricks, Ekota Bricks, Khanjahan Ali Bricks. Most of the brick kilns at Rupsha, Dumuria and Terkhada have been built on the bank of the river.
The ABM brick kiln is built in 500 meters of the densely populated area that includes Koira Upazila Health Complex and educational institutions.
On the other hand, according to Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) sources, 50 brick kilns have been built by occupying the two banks of Bhadra, Hari, Shailmari, Atai and Atharobeki rivers of Khulna. Of these, 18 kilns are in Rupsha upazila, 18 in Dumuria, 11 in Terkhada and three in Dighalia.
Locals alleged the kiln owners took possession of the river bank as well as the surrounding lands of the government. Bricks are being made at those kilns by cutting the soil of the sandbars of the area, forcing the river to change its direction.
Although the list of these illegal kilns has been compiled, the eviction process has come to a halt. Meanwhile, the High Court ordered the eviction of 14 brick kilns built on the bank of the Bhadra and Hari rivers in Dumuria upazila in 60 days.
Read: Raze all illegal brick kilns in Dhaka & adjoining districts in 15 days: HC
On December 14, a HC bench of Justice Justice Justice Md. Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Md. Kamrul Hossain Mollah passed the order following a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).
Regarding the implementation of the court order, Dumuria Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Abdul Wadud said, "We have demarcated the governmental land of the river with red flags."
The kiln owners were also asked not to operate brick kilns within that area. Besides, a fine of Tk 3.5 lakh has been imposed on those four kilns this year.
Md. Maruf Billah, inspector of the DoE, said that the list of legal brick kilns has been published on the website. The work of conducting mobile courts is going on to demolish the illegal ones.
In this regard, Advocate Babul Hawlader, Coordinator of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) Khulna, said that the residents, especially the children and the elderly people, here are suffering from respiratory and heart problems due to harmful smokes from the illegal brick kilns. Crops and plants are being destroyed due to the smoke.
The fish in the river are being destroyed. "Above all, air pollution has a negative impact on the entire ecosystem, including humans," he added.
Ashraful Alam, executive engineer of the BWDB in Khulna, said a list of illegal occupants had already been compiled and sent to the deputy commissioner's office. If they do not demolish the kilns themselves, eviction activities will be conducted with the help of the district administration.
"Action will be taken against all illegal occupants in phases. And, work will be done to evict the BIW occupants," the official warned.
Sundarbans Day: Biodiversity under threat as salinity increases
'Sundarbans Day' will be observed on Monday as every year since 2002 with an appeal to save the largest mangrove forest in the world.
Virtual discussions have been organized in Bagerhat, Khulna, Pirojpur, Satkhira and Barguna due to covid situations like last year.
Rafiqul Islam Khokon, executive director of a private development agency 'Rupantor', said the day will be observed with the slogan 'Love the Sundarbans on the World Valentine's Day'.
This time alternative employment for the people dependent on the Sundarbans will be focused on in this event. There is human pressure on forests for livelihood. Local people adjacent to the forest should be involved in different activities to protect the forest, said Chief Forest Conservator Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury.
Also read: Tiger recovered from Sundarbans canal most likely died of natural causes
Sundarbans, a World Heritage site, hosts a complex network of tidal waterways. The forest presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes and many of its flora and fauna are unique to this region.
However, salinity in the Sundarbans is increasing due to climate change. Besides, the flow of water in the rivers and canals of the forest is decreasing gradually and several canals of the forest have been filled with silt.
Sundari trees are dying due to excessive salinity. Wildlife is also being affected by various diseases by consuming salt water. In the Sundarbans, wild animals are being hunted and people do fishing by spraying pesticides in rivers and canals which threaten the biodiversity of the Sundarbans.
According to various sources, there are 450 small and big rivers-canals in the Sundarbans. Due to lack of water flow, several small and big canal beds in the Sundarbans have been filled with silt. A variety of wild animals, including tigers and deer, leave the Sundarbans, cross canals, and enter the locality very often and lose their lives.
Muhammad Belayet Hossain, divisional forest officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans East Division, said over 20 canals in the area under the Sundarbans East Division have been filled with silt. Besides, a 30 km area of Bhola river from Jaymoni to Das Bharani, Kharma canal and Aruarber canal has been filled.
In this situation, various demands have been raised at different times to protect the Sundarbans, including celebrating 'Sundarbans Day' nationally. There is also a demand for the formation of a separate ministry for the Sundarbans.
Also read: Govt withdraws ban on tourist launch movement in Sundarbans
Executive Director of Sundarbans Academy Anwarul Qadir said that they have been demanding the formation of a separate ministry for the management of the Sundarbans to conserve the Sundarbans and improve the living standards of the people living near the forest. He is hopeful that if their demands are met, the fortunes of the forest and its people will improve.
Rafiqul Islam Khokon, executive director of 'Rupantor', said the first National Sundarbans Conference in Khulna ended on 14 February 2001 with the 'Sundarbans Declaration'.
Some 80 organizations including Rupantar, Khulna University, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) jointly organized that conference.
At the conference, it was decided to observe 'Sundarbans Day' on February 14, and asked the government to observe 'Sundarbans Day' nationally.
Since 2002, Sundarbans Academy, Sundarbans Division, various press clubs and various organizations have been observing 'Sundarbans Day' on 14th February in the districts adjoining the Sundarbans.
In the eighteenth century, the area of the Sundarbans was almost double that of today. In 1878, the Sundarbans was declared a protected forest. The Unesco Commission of the United Nations declared three Sundarbans sanctuaries as World Heritage Sites in 1997.
In 2017, the government expanded the sanctuary area in the Sundarbans. Out of the total forest area of 6,01,700 hectares, now the sanctuary area is 3,17,900 hectares. Earlier it was only 1,39,700 hectares.
It has 375 species of wild animals, the Royal Bengal Tiger and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile, the Indian python, and the gangetic dolphins.