Impact of emissions from brick industries on soil properties, agricultural crops and homegardens in Chittagong, Bangladesh

This study was conducted in the Chittagong district of Bangladesh to explore the impact of emissions from brick kilns on crop yields from agricultural lands which were located at distances of 100, 101-500, 501-1000, and 1001-2000 m from brick kilns. The survey was conducted by using a semi-structured questionnaire during the period from January to March 2019. It also included soil sampling on farmlands located at distances of 0, 150, and 300 m from brick kilns to evaluate impact of brick kilns on the soil properties of agricultural fields. On the other hand, the impact of emissions from brick kilns on the yield of crops and fruits from agricultural lands and home gardens was tested at distances of <100, 101-500, 501-1000, and 1001-2000 m from brick kilns. In total, 14 fixed chimney kilns and four zigzag kilns were randomly selected in the Raozan Upazila, which operated yearly during the period from October to April. Moreover, a total of 72 respondents were randomly interviewed to evaluate their opinions on the impacts of brick industries on their crop production. Results showed that although regulations exist which prohibit clay removal from depths >0.30 m. However, in practice, brick industries collect clay from depths of 0.9 to 2.4 m. For all distances of farmlands from brick industries to human settlements, the available P, K and MC in soil varied significantly. The farmland areas, soil fertilities, crop yields, and status of fruit production all increased significantly while the quantity of fertilizers used in agricultural fields and periods of land leasing decreased with increasing distances from brick industries. These relationships affected attitudes, as people living further from brick industries were more positive towards these industries than people living closer to brick kilns. Therefore, government should provide subsidized credit loans to reduce the impacts caused by the pollution.