MAN MADE DESERT RING-AROUND HYDERABAD.

MAN MADE DESERT RING-AROUND HYDERABAD.


Brick kilns surround the city of Hyderabad in a form of complete ring. Fuel for kilns is cheapest coal obtained from nearby mines. It contains large quantities of sulphur, which when burnt emits sulphur dioxide (SO2), ethylene, carbon monoxide and fluoride gases and being heavier than air they settle on agriculture lands nearby, creating serious agro-environmental problems. Indian experience has shown that such flue gases affect the crop even four miles away. Some years back we surveyed kilns around Hyderabad and also fruit orchards, vegetable and ornamental crops in their vicinity. The condition of crops was as pathetic, as that of the farmers, whose products had became sick with unknown disease. The general out-look of tree crops was totally sickly.
As per present procedures, permission for kiln is given by Deputy Commissioners. Farmers went with their complaint to the Deputy Commissioners who asked Sub-District Magistrates and Assistant Commissioners to probe in to the matter. The latter being non-technical visited the area and reported back that apparently kilns were doing no damage. This has gone on for years. The officers involved do not understand the technology of damage, flue gases containing sulphur were causing.
Concentration of the kilns around big cities is primarily to cut-down the cost of transport of bricks to the city construction sites from shorter distances. Concentration of the kilns within the irrigated agriculture lands is due to easy availability of clay, a raw material used for making bricks. In the irrigated areas there is a hardpan formed at the depth of about 75 cms to one meter and its thickness varies between 45 to 75 cms. One advantage of the burnt bricks form the clay of irrigated area of Sindh is in its final red colour. Clay from Sindh’s Kohistan or hilly tracts impart pale yellow or dull-yellow colour to the burnt bricks, with little eye appeal to the people used to red bricks, though the colour matching to that of lime-stone is also beautiful if properly promoted.
We have done the study of effects of flue gases on mango crop in details and our conclusions are that, the kiln owners get land on contract from some poor farmers at Rs.7000-8000 per acre for removal of clay in a few years. There is chronic shortage of water around Hyderabad and farmers cultivate only 30-50% of land. Being poor they think that they do not lose land and get income which they cannot get even in 10 years, so why not lease. Once clay is removed and contractor is gone, the land owner finds that it costs him Rs.10,000 to re-level the land. Even when it is leveled, it is about 60 cms lower than original level and it becomes difficult to cultivate it. It can also get water logged, flooded easily and become un-economical to cultivate. The land as economic resource is destroyed for-ever. It is not the owner alone, but nation as a whole, who lose the resource. Following are other effects:

In case of mango trees smoke from brick kilns blackens the apex of mango fruit-let, interferes with its development, and has effect on final development of fruits.

The gases and fumes bring this tip disorder in mango and also affect on chlorplast and cause cell disintegration and deficiency of food.

The extent of black tip depends upon the varieties of mango grown. The black it area has decreased amount ascorbic acid. The fruit size remains smaller and is easily detachable from the stalk. The tip becomes pulpy, while the fruit remain unripe and hard.

The brick kiln fumes give girdle necrosis to mango.

The mango tree foliage shows twisting and epinasty. The necrosis brings epidermis stores up in fruits in the form of an unutilized tannin compound.

The higher activity of catalse and peroxide are found in apical ((necrotic) portion and cause necrosis.

Ethylene and Sulphur-dioxide-air mixture produces light brown patches on fruit and these finally turn darker.

Various alkaline substances viz, caustic soda, borax and washing soda are used to control black-tip. They are acidic and are neutralized by alkaline solutions but the solutions are costly and uneconomic under present structure of artificial pricing.

In future, studies are needed to find basic biochemical studies to determine mode of action of pollutants, identifying and development of pollution resistant varieties of mangoes. In the conclusion it may be suggested that:
(a) Kilns may be shifted from the irrigated area and area having orchards, whether in the Indus alluvial plains or hilly and desert areas.
(b) Agriculture land as an important and permanent resource is being destroyed by removal of clay and thereby lowering the level of land by 66 to 75 cms. Attempt should be made to reclaim it. It would be prone to flooding by occasional floods or neighbourers may drain their surplus water into the readily available depressions and thereby destroying their agro-potential.
(c) The affected orchards can readily be brought to productivity by adequate spraying of micro-nutrients and since for the damage responsibility lies on the government, affected farmers may be compensated.
(d) Once kilns are located in the hilly area cheap railway transport needs to be reorganized.
(e) Problems of other cities may be handled in a suitable manner.
(f) With brick kilns gone from irrigated area, stone or concrete will be able to complete with bricks.
(g) Farmers as well as kiln owners may be educated about hazards of flue gases.
Author: Farzana Panhwar (Mrs)
Address: 157-C, Unit No.2, Latifabad, Hyderabad
(Sindh), Pakistan.
E-mail: farzanapanhwar@hotmail.com
Farzanapanhwar@yahoo.com
Fax: 92-21-5830826 and 92-221-860410