All Pakistan Brick Kilns Association (APBKA) President Shoaib Khan Niazi Wednesday said that 25 model zigzag firing brick-kilns (ZFBK) will start working across the province by the end of October.

He said that model brick-kilns were being launched at Raja Jang (Kasur), Morr Khunda (Nankana Sahib), Rawalpindi, Khanewal, Hafizabad,Gujranwala,Islamabad and many other areas of the province.

Niazi said that due to lack of technical expertise, the association was far behind in the use of new technology. He said in China, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and some other countries, the zigzag technology was being used successfully.

He added that zigzag technology kilns were being adopted rapidly across Asia as the running costs of these kilns are very low.

Punjab Environment Protection Department Deputy Director Misbahul Haq Khan Lodhi said that so far the department issued warnings to 91 brick-kiln owners in Lahore district for using conventional method at brick-kilns. He said that owners of these brick-kilns had been directed to close their business by October 20, or else strict action would be launched against them.

"To upgrade the knowledge of brick-kiln owners and workers a plan to establish the Technology Transfer Institute was underway which will help introduce environment-friendly and feasible technologies to them," he added.

To a question, Lodhi said that all conventional brick-kilns in the province had been directed to stop working by Oct 20 as smog was likely to start in the same period.

Noted environmental researcher Mehmood Khalid Qamar said that in modern kilns, bricks get arranged in way to allow hot air to travel in a zig-zag path, adding the length of such air path is about three times that of a straight line.

"This path/gap improves the heat transfer to the bricks, making the entire operation more efficient," he said. Moreover, better mixing of air and fuel allows complete combustion, reducing coal consumption by about 20 per cent.

To a question, Qamar said that in modern kilns, the zigzag design ensures uniform distribution of heat, increasing the share of class-I bricks to by about 90 percent, adding that the design also reduces emissions considerably.