GUJRAT: The environment protection department’s orders to shut down brick kilns that did not have the zigzag technology have led to an increase in the rates of bricks.

The closure of brick kilns may also badly hit the construction industry and several housing projects under way. But, the government’s main objective behind the order is to protect the environment from the thick black smoke the kilns emit and avoid the threat of smog.

Moreover, the brick kiln owners also seem reluctant to shift to the environment-friendly zigzag technology, which is leading to increased concerns among the authorities concerned.

An official of the brick kilns association told Dawn that for instance, out of approximately 350 brick kilns in Gujrat, only 25 have so far shifted to the new technology and around two to three dozen are in the process of updating.

He added that the authorities had ordered the brick kilns functioning on the old technology to shut their operations by Nov 7, but they usually continued for at least three to four months, as had happened last year. The closure of kilns last year had increased the market price of 1,000 bricks to Rs14,000 from Rs9,000, while the lockdown earlier this year also adversely affected the construction sector.

Only a few weeks ago, he said, the price of 1,000 bricks was between Rs9,000 and Rs10,000 which had now increased up to Rs11,000 to Rs12,000 and could further rise soon when the production and storage of bricks will fall.

A kiln owner who transferred to the new technology said that even the demand of broken bricks -- that got damaged during production – was on the rise due to their low price of Rs6,000 per 2,000 pieces.

He said that the second class quality of bricks was being sold at Rs8,000, which might go up to Rs10,000 per 1,000 bricks in the coming days.

However, the owner was of the view that shifting of all the kilns to the new technology was the best solution to avoid a sharp increase in the prices due to the likely closure of kilns every November.

The rate of upper quality brick might touch Rs1,4000 to Rs16,000 per 1,000 pieces this year due to the ongoing construction activity.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2020