Nepalgunj, March 1

Brick kiln operators have been working hard to meet the demand for bricks after rain destroyed around four crore raw bricks in Banke.

The demand for bricks is high in the district due to rapid infrastructure construction work. Nepal Bricks Entrepreneurs Association, Banke, Chairman Jiyanul Khan said it was very difficult to meet the demand for bricks after rainwater damaged the raw bricks. He said that construction works could not be completed on time due to lack of bricks in the district.

In the past, bricks produced in Banke were supplied to Karnali Province. Khan said that around 50,000 bricks were supplied to different districts of Karnali Province through Surkhet on a daily basis. He further added that the unseasonal rainfall this year had damaged the raw bricks and it was very difficult to fulfil the demand of bricks in the district.

Before 2008, bricks were imported to Nepalgunj from Babagunj, India. The bricks of Babagunj reached as far as Surkhet. “But the supply of bricks from India was completely stopped in the last one decade after Banke became self-sufficient in bricks.

There are as many as 42 brick kilns in the district. Khan said brick kilns in the district produced around eight crore bricks a year. Dozens of brick kilns are in operation in Nepalgunj and its surrounding areas and mostly Indian citizens work in these kilns.