Sir: Bricks are used for constructing buildings. There are over 1.3 trillion bricks manufactured each year worldwide. In Pakistan, clay bricks are manufactured by mining and baking clay moulded blocks in brick kilns. On average, the baking process emits 1.4 pounds of carbon per brick, but in Pakistan, outdated brick kilns are used, which produce more than the average amount of pollution. Similarly the brick kilns of Pakistan also burn cheaper alternative material for kiln operation that not only result in excess pollution, but also bake bricks at lower temperature, producing low strength bricks with deformities.
Pakistani brick kilns are owned and operated by single families and all the family members, including women and children, work to manufacture bricks. Since children are not allowed to work under WTO and UN rules, therefore the Punjab government recently enacted a law to discourage children working in brick kilns during school hours, by imposing harsh punishment on those kilns that allowed children to work.
But since the brick kiln owners cannot afford to hire outside help, they have no option but to oppose such restrictions and there have been reports of children working in school uniforms at brick kilns to avoid prosecution. While brick kiln owners have started their protests for the abolition of this act.
The Punjab government should use this opportunity to stop children working at brick kilns, while also helping upgrade the brick industry. New technologies, like the Vameer BP714, the first compressed-earth-block machine, produces air-dried bricks from dirt that are 30 percent stronger than the baked clay bricks. Each brick has interlocking mechanism, making them stronger and safer during earthquakes. The bricks are manufactured at the construction site, saving time and cost, and do not require any baking in polluting kilns.
Since Pakistan has a sub-tropical weather, the summer temperatures are very high but clay baked bricks have low insulating quality. This results in high energy costs for home owners for keeping their homes cooler with air conditioning. The air-dried compressed-earth dirt bricks have high insulating property, which help reduce energy costs for home owners, while improving quality of life.
Each brick making Vameer machine can cost 25,000 dollars and if Punjab government can provide these machines, along with training and support, to the brick kiln families, on low interest credit, then it will not only improve brick quality and new building construction quality, it would also help upgrade brick kiln industry, end child labour and pollution at brick kilns.
SHAHRYAR KHAN BASEER
Peshawar