Riparian Brick Industries: Risks & Hazards

(A case study of a brick industry on the bank of River Nonai, Tangla, Dist: Udalguri, BTAD, Assam)

Introduction
The present age is, doubtless,
an age of concrete and bricks have
played a major role in contributing to
the growth of what in modern terms is
referred to as concrete jungles prevalent
all over the world. The importance of
bricks has been felt acutely in the
modern times what with an
astronomical rise in human population.
Interestingly India accounts for almost
11% of the world’s brick production.
This is a very encouraging sign in so far as economic
development is concerned. However, in spite of making great strides on
the economic level, the indiscriminate use of bricks has also its pit falls-
it has led to the depletion of natural resources leading to the
destruction of environment grossly affecting the flora and fauna.
Friday, October 23, 2015 2Archana Das

According to National Green Tribunal there are at present about
10,000 brick kiln industries in India . On an average, the annual turnover
of these industries is 2000 crore bricks ! In Assam, there are around 350
brick industries and these industries are producing around 700 crore
bricks annually .
The picture however is not
entirely rosy- over production of
bricks has had an adverse effect on
the availability of arable land owing
to the rapid emergence of brick
industries which have inexorably laid
considerable claims on land which
was primarily meant for agricultural
use. The depletion of top-soil on
account of the production of bricks
has led to diminishing rate of the
supply of grains and other
agricultural products.

Objectives
The brick kiln industries occupy a very significant place in
rural and semi urban areas. Small and medium sized traditional brick
kilns are growing in the towns and rural areas of Assam and have been
playing a vital role in economic development of the regions, at the same
time we cannot ignore the pollution risks associated with the brick
fields. There are several environmental impacts of brick kiln of which
the major problems are land degradation, water quality loss and air
pollution. As a case in point, the brick kiln industry which flourished
sometime ago in Tangla of Udalguri district in Assam has also a hand in
changing course of river Nonai rendering a number of people
homeless, landless, and totally impoverished.
Considering the above mentioned issues, the objective of this
present study has been to find out the risk and hazards of riparian
brick industries.

Study Area
The present study was conducted in Dakkhin Nalbari of Tangla under
Bhergaon Sub-division in Udalguri district of Assam. Its geographical location is 26° 34'
28.53" N Latitude and 91° 58' 32.42"E Longitude. The average attitude is 37 meters. The
climate is humid and congenial, while the relative humidity is around 78%. The annual
rainfall is 1850 mm (approx). The present study has been conducted in an old brick field
of Dakkin Nalbari, Tangla of Bhergaon Sub-division, Udalguri district. The average
annual temperature of Tangla is 25.40 C and the average annual rainfall is 184 cm.
A view of the
study area
from Google
Map

Field Work Details
The present work is involved in a number of field based
activities which were carried out from Feb, 2014 to June, 2015. During the
work, an old brick field of Dakkhin Nalbari was selected for the case
study. It is a residential area with a population of about 1800 people,
located 1.5 km towards south of Tangla town. To collect data different
local people of that area and few workers who worked in the brick field
were consulted. During the field work the site was visited time to time
in order to collect the following information:
a) The changed course of river Nonai.
b) To locate the actual position of the brick kilns.
c) To find out the actual number of ditches dug and their position.
c) To estimate the distance of the brick kilns from the river Nonai.
d) To find out the cause of disaster of Nonai river in that area

Analysis of the Study
Friday, October 23, 2015 Archana Das 7
The erosion that took place from 1994 to 2003 in the Dakkhin
Nalbari area of Tangla as a result of the flooding of river Nonai has an
intimate connection with the brick kiln industry that flourished
between 1987 and 1993. The facts gathered from the site can give a clear
concept of the phenomenon.
A view of the study area during November 2014

Invitation to disaster
In 1987 a well known businessman of Tangla Late Naoram
Das decided to set up a brick kiln industry on his own property
which was located on the banks of river Nonai. Over a period of six
years, his business grew considerably producing around 2 crores
bricks which bore the insignia NCD. From the very first year of the
establishment of his brick industry Naoram Das with the help of his
laborers initiated the process of digging 3 large ditches measuring
50m x 30m x 1m in an area which was only 120 mts east of the the
river Nonai. In this way, in the subsequent years the total number of
ditches rose up to 22. The close proximity of these ditches to the
river was literary an invitation to disaster as there was every
possibility of triggering large scale erosion especially during the
rainy season.

Alarm Bells
The brick kiln industry stopped producing bricks after 1992
and consequently the whole area was left abandoned. Over a period of
time the area turned into a veritable wilderness and was pronounced
barren. Interestingly, from 1993 to 2002, the said area witnessed a
strange phenomenon – rainy seasons that occurred during this period
wreaked havoc in the area and the 22 ditches were flooded over with
water. It was feared that owing to the close proximity of these ditches,
there was every possibility that with every subsequent rainfall these
ditches would merge into one single ditch due to the pressure exerted
by the river water against the individual banks of these ditches and
which would finally lead to unprecedented erosion and this is what
exactly happened in the year 2000 when river Nonai flooded its banks
and laid claim on two such ditches which were situated around 120 mts
from the river. As a result, the river Nonai slightly grew in volume in
the year 2000. The alarm bells were already sounded for the local
populace feared that the river Nonai would in due course of time
change its course with disastrous consequences.

Change of course of river Nonai
Between the years 2001 and 2002 the river, on account of
subsequent floods, laid further claims on 15 more ditches that were
situated along its bank. Remaining 5 ditches are still found scattering
in the affected site of Dakkhin Nalbari. The force of the flood waters,
over a period of time further weakened the individual banks of the
ditches as the excessive force of the river water was cutting into the
sides of these ditches and in the year 2003 fifteen more ditches merged
into one single body of water and suddenly, the disaster occurred when
river Nonai dramatically changed its course in a south-easterly
direction. As a result, the villages lying in the adjoining areas were
swept away by the changing course of river Nonai.

A comparative view of the study area during 1987 and 2015

Year No of ditches Total volume of ditches Distance from the river No of bricks produced
1987 3 1500 x 3 = 4500 m3 120 m 30,00,000 Nos
1988 4 1500 x 4 = 6000 m3 140 m 35,00,000 Nos
1989 4 1500 x 4 = 6000 m3 170 m 35,00,000 Nos
1990 4 1500 x 4 = 6000 m3 185 m 35,00,000 Nos
1991 4 1500 x 4 = 6000 m3 200 m 35,00,000 Nos
1992 3 1500 x 3 = 4500 m3 215 m 30,00,000 Nos
Total 22 33,000 m3 Average distance
171.66 m
2,00,00,000 Nos
Table: Year wise data collected from the site from 1987 to 1992

Damages
The changed course of Nonai river literary sounded the
death-knell for the ecosystem people inhabiting the adjoining areas
of the river Nonai. According to the data available in the Office of
the SDC, Harisinga Revenue Circle, around 450 bighas of land was
lost to the river which included 200 bighas of arable land, 170 bighas
of habitable land and remaining 80 bighas of fallow land. In terms
of damage to the property and human tragedy, 17 families have had
to part with their homes including livestock. Even a part of the road
connecting Tangla town to this village was swept away by the river in
2003.

Discussion
On analysis, it was found that certain factors seem to have played major role in
bringing about this disaster. They are as follows:
1. Since 1993 repeated flooding of the area has resulted in the accumulation of sand which has
grossly affected the fertility of the area.
2. The soil texture near the bank of the river is predominantly sandy and such its water holding
capacity is low.
3. As a result of the sand deposits along the river bank, there has been a gradual decline in
vegetation and plant growth.
4. To facilitate the construction of the brick kiln industry vast tracts of forested areas had to
be cleared resulting in indiscriminate destruction of flora and fauna in that area.
5. The destruction of trees and forest for the procurement of fuel by brick kiln labours for
cooking etc further accelerated the degradation of the area.
6. The unplanned manner in which the brick kiln was set up and the ditches that were dug up
took a great toll on the river ecosystem.
7. In spite of the fact that two enormous ditches dug along the banks of the river Nonai had
been annexed by the river in the year 2000, the district administration took no notice of it
whatsoever.

Suggestion
If we are to prevent such a calamity from taking place, it would be worthwhile
to bear the following suggestions in mind:
* The district administration should consult an expert committee of National
Disaster Management Authority, before issuing permission to set up brick
industries.
* Construction of brick kiln industries along the banks of rivers be banned.
* We should thought of alternatives to bricks for the purpose of construction.
* We should try to develop new methods of making bricks whereby use of soil
can be avoided. We may use Aerocon bricks, Fal-G bricks, Synthetic materials,
Stones etc in place of bricks.
* Various NGOs should organize training and awareness programmes to
provide necessary instructions to the common people regarding the risks and
hazards of riparian brick industries.
* The district administration should detect if there is any existing riparian
brick kiln industry. If such industries are detected, their permission should
be cancelled or be asked to undertake necessary precautions to avoid such
disasters.

Conclusion
Unscientific establishment of such industries may lead to severe
environmental problems and the present study area is no exception to this
rule. From the aforesaid analysis it is found that one should not meddle
with nature and natural resources for the fulfillment of our mercenary
needs. Before setting up industries of this type we should make extensive
studies and conduct research with the help of experts to determine the
viability of setting up of such an industry in a particular area. The
Government and the concerned authority should take a serious note of this
matter and promulgate rules and regulations for setting up such brick
industries. We, the common people should also take necessary steps
towards maintaining an awareness of potential hazards and risks that may
result from carrying out activities like building brick kiln industries along
the river banks so that we can prevent disasters from taking place in our
midst.

Acknowledgement:
We are thankful to Office of the SDC, Harisinga Revenue Circle, Tangla for extending
support in collecting some data necessary for the present study. We sincerely acknowledge the
support of the local people of Dakkin Nalbari, Tangla and the informants for their assistance.
References:
1 . Dey, S and Dey,M., (2001), Deterioration and Degradation of Aquatic Systems Due to Brick
Kiln Industries, Curreent World Environment, 88-96
2. Krishna, G. (2013), Ban on making bricks, roads by digging earth, Environment and
Occupational Health, 12-15
3. Sarraf, M & Iyadomi, K, (2013), Reducing Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, One Brick at a Time,
Prospects and Problems of Brick Industry, 126-132
4 http://www.toxicswatch.org/2013/09/ban-on-making-bricks-roads-by-digging.html?m=1
5. http://www.rvcfire.org/ourDepartment/OES/Documents/MJHMP_-_7.18.12_shrank2.pdf
6. http://iigeo.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/11-Status-and-Impact-of-Brick-Fields-on-the
River-Haora-West-Tripura.pdf
Informants:
1. Sri Dilip Rajbongshi, 46 years, Dakkhin Nalbari, Tangla, BTAD, Assam.
2. Sri Dhiren Das, 43 years, Dakhin Nalbari, Tangla, BTAD, Assam.
3. Sri Joy Ram Barman, 39 years, Dakkin Nalbari, Tangla, BTAD, Assam
4. Sri Jiten Rajbongshi, 48 years, Ita Bhata, Tangla, BTAD, Assam

Archana Das
Asst. Professor, Tangla College
Tangla
Pranabjyoti Das
Arunodoi Junior College
Tangla

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