Alarm: Brick kilns wreaking havoc with environs in Budgam
People complain of increased pollution, health hazards
Wajahat Shabir
Srinagar: Ishfaq Ahmed walks along the road early morning only to find a thick layer of black soot deposited on leaves that surround the area. The phenomenon has become a routine as the greens in most parts of the Budgam district are continuously getting affected due to smoke and soot that comes from nearby brick kilns.
“The condition is worsening day by and day. The pollution is not only affecting human life but, also the environment which is a matter of concern. My orchard is getting affected by the pollution coming from the brick kiln and it is depressing me” says Ahmed.
Budgam, 28 kilometers from Srinagar, is a picturesque area surrounded by mountains and woods. The area is home to scenic spots like Doodhpathri, Yusmarg, and Tosamaidan and is emerging as an almond and apple producing belts. But, unregulated growth in brick kiln that has sprung up in Budgam is adversely affecting the biodiversity.
As per the official data, there are more than 337 brick kiln in Kashmir and nearly 212 of these kilns are operating in Budgam district alone.
“Recently we met higher authorities of the state. Our licenses were valid until May 2016 but after a period of time administration allowed construction of 50 to 60 brick kiln which is creating an mess and is totally unacceptable to us,” Jahangir Ahmed, a brick kiln owner said.
“There is a proper procedure in allowing operations of a new brick kilns. But as of now no such procedures are being followed. People are being allowed to spend a whooping amout in establishing new brick kilns and when they start operations, the officials start poking their nose,” Ahmad added.
“The Jammu and Kashmir Brick kilns act came into accordance in 2010. As per the act, those brick kilns that were constructed before 2010 were given briefing period of 5 years and 5 after years they were supposed to shift from agriculture land to another land. But the government could not work on that policy and extended the briefing period to 2 more years,” Zahoor Ahmed, another kiln owner said.
Notably, the emergence of brick kilns in parts of Budgam district is proving to be very disturbing for the environment.
Locals of the area say that not only has the environment taken a hit but even the lives of the residents have been affected.
“Lot of people are complaining of various ailments and these ailments touch the respiratory tract of humans. Every age group is suffering but the children and the old are worse sufferers,” said, Mohammad Yunis, a local resident who is a teacher by profession.
The brick kilns in Budgam have been operating without seeking proper documents from the various government departments for running their operations.
Official in Pollution Control Board say that “brick kiln factory comes under the orange category. And, as per the Environment Protection (Amendment) Act, 2006, every brick kiln operating across Kashmir is illegal.
“There are two categories for brick kiln in the present scenario. There are some brick kiln owners who are working for many decades, but they have not renewed their licenses so they are unauthorized as per the norm. Then there are kiln owners who are willful defaulters as they are working illegally,” said an official of the department. “The licensees to these kiln owners are provided by the concerned Deputy Commissioners. Pollution Control Board provides advisories to concerned DC’s to take action against owners of brick kilns if they are violating any norms. Almost 164 advisories have been issued against brink kiln owners throughout Kashmir during the last two years,” he added.
KV Correspondent
