Rehman, a senior EPD official, said there were over 3,000 brick making units in the country with the majority (over 50%) were located in Punjab province. The industry appears to be growing at an annual rate of about 3% resulting in the setting up of numerous new factories, although for various reasons many factories are also going out of business. The total annual production has been estimated at over 11 billion bricks, he said adding over 800 kilns had production capacity of larger than six million brick per year.
The secretary environment said the brick industry was quite energy intensive and it had been estimated that when only wood was used, the cost of energy accountrf for about 43% of production costs. Besides coal and wood, other fuel types are also used including saw dust, fuel oil, rice husks, rubber tyres and other substandard fuel.
He said the brick kiln association had agreed to upgrade to cleaner and more fuel-efficient kilns such as VSBK models, which were already established in Vietnam and India. The EPD head revealed that two of such kilns were already established in Pakistan (one at Islamabad and other at Attock) by private persons.
The brick-kiln association also agreed to apply appropriate air pollution control technologies such as adding gravity-settling chambers to fixed chimney BTKs and would also follow the directions of the environmental tribunal given in a case No. 77/2010.
The tribunal directed the kilns to control the pollution by extending height of the chimney from 100 to 120 feet, top opening of the chimney must be in between 12-Sq.ft to 25.Sq.ft, cross Section area of the flue duct must be 4x4 feet having 150 to 180 feet length, rubber tyre and other substandard fuel must not be allowed, air for combustion and fuel feeding rate should be maintained.
Naseemur Rehman said the Brick Kiln Association had agreed to visit an Indian model brick kilns at Attock and Islamabad and later they would also visit India to see the related technologies and replicate the same here in Pakistan for the improvement of the environment.