Environmental Scenario in India

6  Environmental cost of using topsoil for brick-making

Vinish Kathuria and R. Balasubramanian

Introduction

The removal of topsoil for urban uses, and in particular for brick-making, is increasing rapidly due to the tremendous growth in urbanization and industrialization in many developing countries. Unfortunately, brick kilns are mostly situated on fertile agricultural land, as brick manufacturers need silty clay loam to silty clay soils with good drainage conditions. Quite often soils used in brick-making have high fertility status and their opportunity cost is also high especially when the soil/brick-earth is removed from river basins with intensive agricultural production. Another important dimension to the problem is the depth over which ...