Lahore: Bedian kilns spew deadly gases, poison DHA air

By Abdul Manan

LAHORE: There are about 160 brick kilns in and around the city. These kilns are a major source of gases that pose a health risk to residents living close to them, an official of the Environment Protection Department (EPD) told Daily Times on Sunday.
Sixty brick kilns are on Bedian Road, while the rest are in Baghbanpura and on Multan Road. The kilns in Bedian spew gases that affect the environment in Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Walton and Bhatta Chowk.

The materials used to fuel these kilns are old used tyres and ghee (cooking oil). Wastewater drained from banquet halls and hotels contain ghee, which enter city drains. People collect this water and sell it to brick kilns. People running the kiln, mix the water with ash and use it as fuel. They also use old tyres to burn the brick furnaces.

The EPD official said that when the wind blew towards DHA and other thickly populated areas, the smoke from the kilns blew into residential areas. He said that the smoke contained excessive carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, which were seriously harmful to human health.

Haji Sabir Buttar, the owner of a brick kiln a kilometre from DHA, told Daily Times that he burned tyres and ghee to get the temperature right to bake bricks. He said that he was unaware of the deadly effects of the gases emitted by his kiln. He said that the price of coal and the unavailability of wood gave him no choice but to use ghee and tyres for fuel.

Renowned architect Nayyer Ali Dada told Daily Times that bricks baked by coal fire would remain strong for 50 years, while bricks baked by tyre and ghee fire would remain strong for 30 years. He said that bricks should be baked by coal fire, as they became long-lasting and had a mild impact on the environment and people’s health.

Muhammad Adnan, a chemical expert working for a multinational company, said that carbon monoxide was a by-product of the combustion of organic matter. He said that the gas was colourless, odourless, tasteless, and non-irritating, making it difficult for people to detect. He said that carbon monoxide was quite toxic.

He said that carbon dioxide was also colourless and odourless. He said that the carbon dioxide content in air varied between 0.03 percent and 0.06 percent depending on the location.

Dr Muhammad Khalil of Mayo Hospital told Daily Times that carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide poisoning included listlessness, depression, dementia, emotional disturbances, headaches, vertigo, and flu-like effects and large scale exposure could lead to significant toxicity of the central nervous system and heart.

He said that when these gases were inhaled at concentrations much higher than usual atmospheric levels, it could produce a sour taste in the mouth and a stinging sensation in the nose and throat. These effects resulted from the gas dissolving in the mucous membranes and saliva, forming a weak solution of carbonic acid, he said. “This sensation can also occur during an attempt to stifle a burp after drinking a carbonated beverage,” he added.

Tajammul Hussain, the DHA public relations officer, told Daily Times that the housing authority contained about 12,000 houses, 22,000 vehicles and 13,000 trees. He also said that the housing authority’s population was about 35,000.