Health Impact Assessment of Brick Kilns in Tikathali

1
Health Impact Assessment of Brick Kilns in
Tikathali
(A Case Study)

• Anil K. Raut
• Environmental Health Unit
• Nepal Health Research Council
• 12 December 2003, Kathmandu

2
Disclaimer

• This paper is based on the study conducted by
  Clean Energy Nepal (CEN) in June 2002 to access
  the environment and health impact of brick kilns
  of Kathmandu valley

3
Project area background

• Tikathali VDC is situated in the southern belt of
  Kathmandu valley
• 9 brick kilns operating in the VDC
• 4094 residents in 1991 census
• All of them were Bulls Trench Kilns (BTK)
• Health examination conducted on a school
  surrounded by three BTKs
• Control area - Lamatar (without brick kilns in
  the vicinity)
• Health check-up during brick kiln operation season

4
Impact on environment

• Ambient air pollution - three time higher than
  the background area
• Three times higher during operation than off
  season
• Loss in top soil fertility among others

5
Air pollution result

• Air pollution in Tikathali before and during
  brick kiln operation

6
Environmental health hazard

• Health check-up conducted among school children
  below 6 years in Tikathali (brick kiln area) and
  Lamatar (control area)

7
Risk groups

• Children studying at schools near brick kilns
• People residing near the brick kilns
• Brick kiln workers
• All the residents of Kathmandu valley as these
  kilns also do contribute to the degrading air
  quality of valley (according to the World Bank,
  brick kilns contribute to 31 TSP and 20 PM10

8
Bypassing government rules

• According to the Environment Protection Act,
  1996, these kilns should conduct IEE and EIA
• According to Industrial Enterprises Act, 1992,
  brick kilns are not allowed to be established
  within 1 km from settlements and 3 km from forest
  area
• Brick kilns needs to be registered to the
  Department of Cottage and Small industries (but
  there are about 50 percent of the brick kilns in
  Kathmandu operating illegally)
• In December 2001, government ordered 6 kilns at
  Tikathali to shut down their operation and pay
  fine for operating illegally
• In march 2002, Industrial Promotion Board
  announced to stop the registration of new Bulls
  Trench Kiln and phase out the existing ones in
  one and half years (i.e. Sept 2003)

9
IEE and EIA requirement

• Need to conduct IEE before setting up a new kiln
  with a capacity to produce up to 10 million
  bricks per year and
• Need to conduct EIA for setting up kilns with
  capacity higher than that
• As part of the IEE and EIA process, the
  entrepreneurs also need to put up a public notice
  to collect the comments and concerns from the
  local people
• But, many kiln owners either do not register
  their kiln or do not do a proper IEE or EIA

10
Control measures

• No brick kilns around residential area,
  particularly around schools
• Introduction of cleaner technology in brick
  making
• Emission standard on brick kilns
• Use of high quality fuel

11
Adjusting to new technologies and government
regulations

• Bulls Trench Kilns should be transferred to new
  cleaner technology
• Need to conduct IEE and EIA where applicable so
  as to reduce the environmental hazards to the
  local people
• Government should punish and shut down the
  illegal kilns
• Government should develop proper monitoring
  mechanism

12
Recommendations

• There is need to conduct health impact assessment
  before establishing the brick kilns in any area
  in line with other requirements
• Brick kilns should not be allowed to establish
  near schools, densely populated area
• Proper protection measures should be taken by the
  kiln workers