Natore  Correspondent:

From residential villages to fertile farmlands and even the edges of railway tracks, brick kilns in Natore are rising where the law clearly says they should not. Officially, Natore has 115 brick kilns. Unofficially, 84 of them are illegally operating without environmental clearance, licences or compliance with the Brick Manufacturing and Brick Kiln Establishment Act. Yet most of these kilns are fully active, firing bricks day and night, filling the air with smoke and the silence with unanswered questions.

The law prohibits brick kilns within residential areas, near croplands and close to key infrastructure. On the ground, however, the opposite picture emerges. Illegal kilns are scattered across the district, some dangerously close to villages, others eating into agricultural land. Despite this, brick production continues uninterrupted, as if legality were optional.

A major concern is fuel. Instead of coal, most of Natore’s brick kilns burn wood openly and relentlessly. This not only violates environmental regulations but also accelerates deforestation and worsens air pollution. Year after year, locals complain of black smoke, ash-covered crops and breathing problems. Still, enforcement appears distant.

In Lalpur upazila’s Bilbaria area, the Bata Brick Kiln offers a telling example. A visit reveals stacks of firewood feeding roaring kilns. Owner Ujjal Hasan openly admits that his kiln runs entirely on wood, claiming coal-based technology is beyond their capacity.

He goes further, stating that almost all 44 brick kilns in Lalpur are illegal and lack environmental clearance. According to him, high demand for bricks and “cooperation” from the local administration keep the kilns running.

Nearby, the BBR Brick Kiln paints the same picture. Wood is burned continuously, giving the site the appearance of a sawmill rather than a brick kiln. Manager Sagar Ali says they have no coal-burning facilities and therefore rely on wood. He adds that if the Department of Environment issues clearance, they are willing to build zigzag kilns and switch to coal. Until then, they continue operations as they are illegally.

In Natore Sadar Upazila’s Tebaria union, the Narayanpur MBM Brick Kiln has reportedly been operating for nearly two decades without any legal documentation. Despite a clear legal requirement that kilns must be at least one kilometre away from residential areas, an old village sits right beside the kiln. Around 500 families live there, exposed daily to smoke and dust. Kiln owner Julhas Uddin claims he followed all rules and that the settlement grew after the kiln was established. Local residents strongly dispute this, calling his claim false and misleading.

Elsewhere, the RKR Brick Kiln in the Dastanabad area has been running for years without a licence. When asked about legal documents, owner Faruk Hossain avoided comments and instead asked to meet the reporter privately, a response that raises more questions than answers.

Quality issues add another layer to the problem. At the BMO Brick Kiln in Tebaria Union, bricks were found to be smaller than the BSTI standards, potentially cheating buyers. Manager Rashedul Islam Babu denies deliberate wrongdoing, claiming that some bricks shrink during firing unintentionally. Consumers, however, continue to bear the loss.

Officials acknowledge the scale of the problem. Natore’s Department of Environment Assistant Director Md Rafiqul Islam says drives against illegal kilns are ongoing, but admits that with 84 illegal kilns, enforcement takes time. District Commissioner Asma Shaheen echoes a zero-tolerance policy, promising that illegal kilns will gradually be brought down to zero.

Yet civil society voices remain sceptical. Abdul Razzak, president of Natore’s Anti-Corruption Committee, says locals believe bribery allows these kilns to operate. In his view, routine official statements lack credibility when illegal operations continue so openly.

In Natore, the smoke rising from brick kilns is more than an environmental hazard; it is a sign of regulatory failure. Until law enforcement moves faster than kiln fires, the district’s air, land and trust will continue to burn.