An Inventory of Brick Kilns in Kanpur Dehat District

Authors

  • Srabani Sanyal Department of Geography, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi - 221005.
  • Divanshu S. S. Niranjan Department of Geography, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi - 221005

Keywords:

Brick making, Brick kilns, Workforce

Abstract

Urbanization in India is characterized by unplanned and uncontrolled growth leading to
urban sprawl. As a result there is an increase in the demand of infrastructural facilities such
as housing, transport and communication which requires large quantities of constructional
materials such as bricks. Brick making is a traditional industry but has emerged as an important
activity. India is the second largest producer of clay bricks in the world after China with an
estimated brick production of around 140 billion bricks per year from nearly 50,000 small/
cottage scale brick kilns distributed throughout India. There are 3.5 million workers employed
in this sector. For manufacturing bricks at least 2.4 hectares of land is required; 0.8 hectares
for the brick kilns itself and 1.6 hectares for digging out 0.9 meters of topsoil. Brick making
has directly or indirectly caused environmental and health problems. The present study tries
to investigate the distribution of brick kilns in Kanpur Dehat district in India and examine the
type of workforce engaged in brick kilns in the study area.

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Published

29-03-2022

How to Cite

Sanyal, S. ., & Niranjan, D. S. S. . (2022). An Inventory of Brick Kilns in Kanpur Dehat District. National Geographical Journal of India, 61(02), 191–206. Retrieved from https://ngji.in/index.php/ngji/article/view/349