The Hindu Business Line : Order on fly ash use to hit brick kilns

BRICK and tile manufacturers will have to use fly ash, a waste generated in thermal power plants, as a raw material to help reduce environment pollution following an order passed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.

But the manufacturers are unhappy because it makes them bear the burden of pollution caused by thermal plants.

According to a press release from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, the Union Environment Ministry has issued a notification on fly ash utilisation to bring down pollution caused by ash generated by coal and lignite burning thermal plants.

The original notification of 1999 was amended in August 2003 making it compulsory for clay brick, tile and block manufacturers within 100 km of a thermal power plant to mix at least 25 per cent by weight ash with the clay used in manufacture.

The order is aimed at protecting the environment from soil and water pollution caused by ash discharged from power plants. In Tamil Nadu there are five plants located in Thiruvallur, north of Chennai, Salem, Tuticorin and Cuddalore.

The order is applicable with immediate effect to manufacturers within a 50 km radius of these plants. Those in the 50 km to 100 km belt will have to conform to the rules by August 26. Violations will be dealt with under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

The brick and tile manufacturers are unhappy over the order because even if the ash is given free, transportation cost will add to the cost of production. As they see it, the thermal plants spew out the ash, but they are faced with solving the problem.

Mr D. Sudarsanam, MLA, and the former President of the Tamil Nadu Brick and Tile Manufacturers Industrial Service Cooperative Society (which has been dissolved), the primary raw material, clay, is available on their own land. But now ash will have to be transported a distance of 50 - 100 km. This could add at least 15 paise to the cost of production, which now ranges around 90 paise a brick.

According to rough estimates, there are over 1000 kilns in Chennai and surrounding areas and about 3000 throughout the State. On an average each kiln has 24 chambers, with a capacity to produce about 15,000 bricks per chamber. A kiln will produce 3.6 lakh bricks in one production cycle lasting 15 - 20 days. Depending on their financial strength the kiln owners will operate anywhere between two and 15 cycles in one firing season lasting the dry spell in summer.

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