Special anti-pollution drive: Over Tk 24 crore in fines collected, 648 brick kilns shut down

In a significant initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Department of Environment conducted a robust nationwide anti-pollution campaign from January 2, 2025, to April 10, 2025.

The extensive operation targeted various sources of pollution, including vehicles emitting excessive black smoke, illegal brick kilns, steel mills contributing to air pollution, noise pollution, hazardous waste discharge, lead/battery recycling factories, landfilling of water bodies, tire pyrolysis, charcoal factories, and the open storage of construction materials causing air pollution.

A total of 778 mobile court drives were executed across the country.

These rigorous enforcement actions resulted in 1,663 cases, leading to the imposition and recovery of fines amounting to over Tk 24 crore. Simultaneously, the chimneys of 438 illegal brick kilns were demolished, effectively ceasing their operations entirely. Stern directives for closure were issued to an additional 210 brick kilns.

Furthermore, raw bricks at 124 kilns were destroyed, and the electricity connections of 7 brick kilns were disconnected. One individual was also sentenced to one month of simple imprisonment. In a crackdown on lead pollution, equipment for smelting lead/batteries was seized from seven establishments, resulting in the closure of these factories.

Separately, on April 10, 2025, six mobile court operations were conducted in the Dhaka Metropolitan areas of Gulshan-1 & 2, Matuail, Aminbazar, Mohammadpur, and Narayanganj, targeting air pollution caused by construction materials. These drives led to 5 cases and the collection of BDT Two lakh fifty-nine thousand in fines, according to a ministry press release.

On the same day, an anti-pollution drive in the Aminbazar area of Dhaka Metropolitan City targeted an illegal lead-acid battery smelting factory. The factory was dismantled, and the lead battery smelting equipment was confiscated. In Gazipur, an operation against the filling of water bodies resulted in a warning issued to one individual, along with a directive to restore the pond to its original condition within five days.

Moreover, in Manikganj and Dinajpur districts, two mobile court drives against illegal brick kilns led to 8 cases and the imposition of over Tk 1 lakh in fines. During these actions, the chimney and raw bricks of one brick kiln were demolished, and the electricity connections of six brick kilns were severed.