Brick kilns only operational for four months in a year, is it a sign of closure?

KATHMANDU: Changunarayan Municipality in Bhaktapur has 62 brick kilns in operation.

These brick kilns employ thousands of people. The market for bricks is currently declining. Will the brick kilns be shut down? How many have been closed already? Are they no longer open?

Brick kilns were once operated from Mangsir (Nov/Dec) to Baisakh (Aprl;/May). It lasted six months. However, it will only be operational for four months this time.

According to Bidwesh Awal, owner of Ganesh Fix Brick Kiln, the economic downturn has reduced construction work. As a result, brick sales have ceased. The brick kiln has only been operational for four months this year.

There have been repeated calls in the valley to shut down the brick kilns. Residents of Chandragiri Municipality had previously protested the closure of brick kilns, claiming that “brick kiln smoke causes diseases like cancer.” Locals in Dhulikhel Mandandeupur also protested the closure of the brick kilns due to the risk of disease. The brick kiln in Maligaun, Bhaktapur, has been closed.

The Jay Guru brick kiln in Bhaktapur is also closed at the moment. According to Uttam Twat, the kiln’s operator, the kiln has been closed this time as the old bricks have not been sold. Although brick production has ceased, sales and distribution have begun. ‘Bricks have not been sold since yesterday,’ they claim. As there is a low demand for bricks in the market, the kiln has not been used this time.’

The owner stated that it was uncertain whether the kiln would be operational or not, and that it would be determined by the sale of bricks.

The Jay Guru brick kiln was not closed due to municipal or local opposition or movement. Twat claims that house builders require new bricks, and as the old bricks remain, brick production has been halted this year in order to sell the bricks.

Aside from that, JB, BA, and numerous other kilns are in operation. The manager of JB Bhatta is confident that the restaurant will not close down. He stated that there is no indication that the kiln will be shut down for only four months, and that no information has been received indicating that the kiln will be closed.

According to him, a kiln registered in Changunarayan Municipality pays the municipality 1 million in taxes each year. His argument is that the brick kilns will not close now as thousands of workers will be hired and millions of dollars in taxes will be paid to the government. He also stated that, while the kiln is currently operational for 3-4 months, if demand for bricks increases, the kiln will be operational for a longer period next year.

Aside from that, if the clay and coal needed to make bricks are unavailable, the kiln’s operation may be halted. He stated that the kiln may be relocated, but there is no indication of its closure.

Workers who have come to work in the kilns from various places such as Kavre, Panchkhal, and Nagarkot since monsoon say they will be unemployed if the kilns close. Some argue that farming is the only option, while others insist that they will work in the kiln even if they have to leave the valley.

-Tenzing Dolma Tamang