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(Thematic report :November) Nepal, Brick kiln and Air pollution |
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by Binita Suwal | 15-11-2021 17:28
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Development of the modern technologies has been a key determinant to accelerate industrialization and urbanization in developing countries like Nepal. With tremendous increase in population, demand for bricks for construction is also increasing establishing brick industry as a booming industry.
Brick industry can be recognized by the prominent height of the stack (Chimney). In Nepal, most of the kilns are named with Chimney Bhatta or Chimney Itta Udhyog. Most of these industries are operated from the month of December till June. There are 429 officially registered brick kilns in Nepal while Federation of Nepal Brick Industry (FNBI) estimates more than 700 brick kilns in country. About 3.2 billion bricks are produced in Nepal. It is estimated that 110 brick kilnsare are operated in Kathmandu valley. Among them, 15 are present in Kathmandu, 32 in Lalitpur and 63 in Bhaktapur. Brick kiln present in Nepal is mostly fixed chimney bull's trench kilns. It is a continuous. moving fire kiln in which the fire is always burning and moving forward in the direction of air flow due to the draught provided by a chimney. Coal is the major fuel of this industry, which is mainly imported from India. It is supplemented to a minor ratio by various agricultural residues such as husks, etc. Ash is one of non-combustible material, exists in the fuel. Flying particles of ash and unburnt coal comes out through chimney and are emitted to the environment which pollutes the environment. These particles are suspended in the air and are called Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM). According to a study conducted by the World Bank in 1996, the main contributing source for total suspended particles in the valley are cement factory (36%), brick kilns (31%), domestic fuel vehicle exhaust (3.5%). Emission from brick kilns comprises of fine dust particles, hydrocarbons, SO2, NO2, fluoride compound, CO and small amount of carcinogenic dioxide. It is estimated that brick kilns are major contribution of CO2 emission in the environment. Total suspended particulate matter emitted by BTK $700mg/Nm [reported by SMS Environment and Engineering Pvt. Ltd.] Coal, containing high level of sulfur and high ash, is the main fuel for the Brick industry. It is mainly imported from India. Besides coal, small fraction of raw dust, vegetable seeds, bagasses and rice husk also using as fuel. All brick kiln crush the coal to required size for firing. Brick making is an energy intensive process and consumer about 56.1 thousand tonner of coal and 230 tonner of biomass fuel per year in Kathmandu Valley alone.[SMS Environment and engineering Pvt. Ltd.] Transportation facilities are used all round the year to transport bricks from one place to another this also adds fuel to burning cases of air pollution. Because of the repeated emission of gases the quality of air is slowly degrading wind speed and wind direction normally play a vital role for the dispersion of pollution. The small dust particle of bricks lying over the brick kilns are carried by wind making the air quality degraded. Very few trees are surrounded near the kiln to control the air pollution caused by the black smoke produced by kiln. Due to this increase pollution, there is decrease in animals and crop productivity near kiln. Bio-diversity of different areas can degrade due to air pollution because all the chemical components affect the organism (WHO 2011) Total Nitrogen available Potassium and available Phosphorus content of soil significantly decreases with brick burning along with the value of organic matter content. Brick kiln are massively resulting in soil nutrient loss. Impact of brick kilns 1. Air pollution Production of bricks results in environmental degradation due to the emission of significant quantities of gaseous and particulate pollutants. All the brick kiln operation right from digging of earth to unloading of fired bricks from the kiln are accompanied by generation of dust which leaves the whole nearby and work place dusty. The air in the capital city is heavily pollutate so much so to affect the visibility that made the country less attractive to tourist. "The Environment Performance Index (EPI) ranking 2012" conducted by Yale Centre for Environmental Law and Policy, Yale University and Centre for International Earth Science Information Network and Columbia University has listed Nepal in third last position (the 130 h) among 132 countries scoring 18 out of 100 points provided for air pollution, in term of air pollution impact on human health. 2. Health Impact According to WHO for air pollution approximately 3 million people has died each year. Among them 800000 people die prematurely every year due to lung cancer, cardiovascular and the respiratory diseases, caused by outdoor air pollution (WHO 2000). People who are living near brick kilns are more likely to suffer from illnesses caused by kiln pollution, comparing those who are living in areas without the kilns. There is high chance of respiratory tract infections like pharyngitis and tonsillitis in school children nearby brick kilns. 3. Land degradation It is the ultimate result of brick kiln. Land degradation may occur through different physical chemical and biological processes which are directly and indirectly induced by human activities. Peripheral agricultural land near brick industries suffers from heavy metal deposition, nutrient declination, disturbance in soil texture and organic matter content that decline crop productivity. Nutrient elements and soil biota are destroyed through brick burning availability of various primary nutrients (N,P and K) and secondary nutrients (S. Ca and Mg) in the nearby land depends upon organic matter content, pH and soil texture that are changed due to brick manufacturing process. However Air pollution is the initial result of brick kilns. |
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5 Comments
Hello Binita, this is your mentor Hannah.
Since almost none of the people in Korea use this brik kiln, it was first time for me to hear about it.
By just reading your article, it seems to me that they could be substituted to another facility, since there are more disadvantages.
Thank you for your great article and please keep up with your wonderful work :)
Sincerly,
Hannah
Posted 05-12-2021 02:31
Excellent report, thanks for your great explanation.
Posted 21-11-2021 10:56
Now I have learnt the social and environmental impacts of brick kilns, keep it up 👍
Posted 17-11-2021 23:59
Nice report Binita!
Posted 16-11-2021 08:41
Hello Binita, this is your mentor Joon.
It is sad to hear such facilities are being used. I can easily imagine the effects it would have to both environment and human just by looking at the photo. I have learned about similar cases which caused severe respiratory syndromes to human and animals around it. It is best to avoid using it, yet if it is inevitable, different issues such as health issues, and environmental issues should be examined and solutions must be provided in order to deal with it.
Well read your article, and let's keep up!
Best,
Joon
Posted 16-11-2021 00:14