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Kathmandu Monday June 26, 2000 Ahsad 12, 2057.
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Relocate brick kilns
On May 3rd you had a news report that a group of youth from
Watawaran Sudhar Yuva Samuha (a youth forum for the improvement of environment) from
Tikathali and Imadol of Lalitpur were agitating for the removal of brick kilns from their
area. I do hope they will succeed.
The removal of those brick kilns are long overdue. Neither
environmentalists nor media seem to be concerned about this particular pollutant.
Actually, the air pollution that these kilns cause should not just be the concern of
Tikathali and Imadol but all the residents of the Valley, especially in Lalitpur and
surrounding areas.
The air pollution that is created by these brick kilns is not
just harmful to human beings but also to national heritage sites such as Patan Durbar
Square and other temples nearby. We always hear how Chobhar-based cement factory is
polluting the Valley, but we seem to be less aware that even these brick kilns, which
exist in several dozens in the valley, are as bad. Therefore, the call for their removal
is quite justifiable and should be responded positively without delay. Notably, the easy
side of the task is that these kilns are not large, constructed factories but rather
rented space (land) with no big investment. So it should not be an economic hardship for
the owners of the kilns to relocate their "factories".
To give credit where it is due, the last government of
Krishna Prasad Bhattarai had the political will to remove the much polluting diesel tempos
from the valley and to some extent the valley’s air is a little less polluted now.
With more electric tempos now plying the roads, city indeed has a better look. So similar
measures to relocate the brick kilns, too, would only go in favour of making the Kathmandu
Valley’s environment better.
Raju Gurung
Maharajgunj, Kathmandu |
