Toxic smoke from a brick kiln is alleged to have ruined paddy on about 40 bighas of land in Rajibpur upazila of Kurigram, affecting at least 45 farmers. The incident took place in the upazila's Sluice Gate area.

The affected farmers say paddy plants on nearby farmland were scorched after excessive smoke came out of the kiln on the night of 20 April. They say fruit trees and bamboo clumps around their homes were also damaged by the smoke.

Local farmer Abdus Salam said he had grown paddy on 25 bighas. He had seen the field the day before the incident, but when he came the next day almost the whole crop was ruined, leaving him with a heavy financial loss. When he sought compensation, he said, the kiln side was uncooperative and treated him badly.

Another farmer, Shahid Mia, said the smoke was caused by burning extra coal at the end of the kiln season, and it had damaged their crops. Farmer Abdul Aziz made the same allegation, saying he had farmed for a long time but never seen such damage, and it would be hard for them to recover the loss.

Denying the allegation, kiln owner Rafiqul Islam Mukul said: "My kiln's chimney is 100 feet high, and I haven't been burning bricks for the past week. So the damage may have been caused by intense hot winds, not smoke."

Md Rezaul Karim, assistant director of the Department of Environment in Kurigram, said gas builds up in the firing chambers of brick kilns. When the chamber mouth is opened after burning stops, the gas released can cause extensive damage to crops and the environment on the side it escapes. So before releasing the gas, kiln operators must check whether there are crops on nearby land.

Sayekul Hasan Khan, acting Upazila Nirbahi Officer and assistant commissioner (land) of Rajibpur, said no complaint had yet been received from the farmers. If one is received, it will be investigated and necessary action taken.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.