{"id":20078286,"date":"2021-08-27T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thethirdpole.net\/?p=78286"},"modified":"2023-11-29T17:41:52","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T12:11:52","slug":"could-bangladeshs-eco-bricks-do-more-harm-than-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/could-bangladeshs-eco-bricks-do-more-harm-than-good\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Bangladesh\u2019s \u2018eco-bricks\u2019 do more harm than good?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Bangladesh, the mere act of breathing is hazardous. In 2017, air pollution was responsible for 14% (123,000) of total deaths<\/a>. The country\u2019s air quality has worsened since, with more than 170,000 people dying<\/a> due to diseases related to air pollution in 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognising the scale of the problem, the government is seeking to clean up one the most polluting industries: brick kilns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is one of the world\u2019s most polluted<\/a> cities. There are more than 1,000 brick kilns in and around the city, Md Abu Bakar, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Brick Manufacturing Owners Association, told The Third Pole<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kilns burn coal and wood to fire topsoil and create traditional clay bricks \u2013 which are in high demand as the country develops and its cities expand. The impact on the environment and human health is enormous: in 2018<\/a>, Bangladesh\u2019s brick sector burnt 7 million tonnes of coal and emitted more than 21 million tonnes of carbon dioxide \u2013 more than the total CO2 emissions<\/a> of Guatemala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"In<\/div>
A clay brick kiln in the coastal division of Khulna. Huge amounts of topsoil are stripped from the land to create the bricks. (Image: SK Hasan Ali \/ Alamy)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Research<\/a> conducted in 2014 by the country\u2019s Department of Environment<\/a> in association with the Norwegian Institute for Air Research<\/a> and the World Bank found that brick kilns are the source of most of Dhaka\u2019s air pollution \u2013 responsible for 58% of fine particles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem shows no sign of diminishing. By 2030, it is projected<\/a> that 60 billion bricks will be produced in Bangladesh, almost doubling from around 34 billion in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0The problems with traditional clay bricks<\/span>
\n

There are nearly 8,000 coal-fired kilns<\/a> in Bangladesh. To fire bricks, coal and wood is burnt, which releases greenhouse gases and contributes to deforestation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The industry uses outdated, inefficient technology<\/a>, making it more resource-intensive and polluting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kilns emit particulate matter and black carbon, which are hazardous to human health\u00a0<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A huge amount of topsoil is stripped off the land to create bricks. According to Akhter Hossain Sarker, principal research officer at the Housing and Building Research Institute, 60 million tonnes of topsoil is used by the brick industry every year. Use of topsoil in this way leads to a loss of fertile agricultural land \u2013 crops cannot be grown for three years afterwards. The loss of topsoil also leads to a loss of land elevation, increasing exposure to sea-level rise and flooding.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Enter \u2018alternative bricks\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In its seventh five-year plan (2016-20), the government set out the aim to bring down pollution from the brick sector to zero by 2025. To meet Bangladesh\u2019s growing demand for construction material while bringing air pollution under control, the government has invested in and is promoting \u201calternative bricks\u201d: blocks that have not been kiln-fired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the past six years, the House Building Research Institute<\/a> (HBRI), a government research institute, has been working on the development of what it says are less-polluting building materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n