Topsoil burnt for bricks

Around 180 brick kilns across 14 upazilas of Lalmonirhat and Kurigram are extracting topsoil from farmland to manufacture bricks, affecting agriculture and the environment.

Around 5kg of soil is needed to manufacture a brick. Each of these kilns produces 40-50 lakh bricks every year, leading to the loss of a significant amount of topsoil which, in turn, hampers agricultural yield.

"It is not possible to manufacture bricks without using topsoil, about 5-10 inches from the surface of arable land. So, the kilns purchase it from farmers," said Shafiqul Islam, a brickmaker at Dhairkhata in Lalmonirhat.

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Topsoil is the uppermost outer layer of the soil which has the highest concentration of organic matter. It is also the place where most biological activity occurs, said Hamidur Rahman, deputy director of Department of Agriculture Extension in Lalmonirhat.

"Once excavated, it takes over a decade for the soil to return to its previous fertility," he said.

Topsoil also contains humus and is also home to most microorganisms that help break down nutrients for plants to process food, stressed Biplob Kumar Mohanta, deputy director of DAE in Kurigram.

He urged the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to prevent topsoil extraction.

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Mobarak Hossain, a 60-year-old farmer of Ghanoshyam village in Lalmonirhat's Kaliganj upazila, said, "Brick kiln owners usually purchase a few bighas of topsoil at once, leaving the nearby agricultural land elevated. The difference in soil height hampers agricultural activities after irrigation. It compels us to also sell our topsoil to ensure that the lands are at the same level."

Farmers usually make Tk 15,000-20,000 in exchange for topsoil from one bigha land, they said.

Photo: Star

Selling the topsoil of his three bigha land about six years ago, Ashraf Ali, a 65-year-old farmer from Newashi village in Kurigram's Phulbari, said he is still unable to achieve his expected yield.

Jahangir Alam, a brick kiln owner in Kurigram's Roumari, said they purchase topsoil from farmers at a fair price. He claimed that they never force farmers to sell topsoil, rather farmers willingly sell it.

Azaherul Islam, deputy director of Department of Environment in Rangpur, said topsoil is being collected from arable land for brick kilns openly and the district administration has been informed of the matter.

Deputy Commissioner in Lalmonirhat Mohammad Ullah said they would start drives soon to stop the sale of topsoil from arable lands.