Faridpur, Jan. 12 -- The once verdant banks of Madhumati River, separating Faridpur's Boalmari Upazila from Magura's Mohammadpur, are now blighted by illegal brick factories thriving on a growing demand for the construction material.

The brick kilns, mostly sprung up on agricultural land, are burning trees, use topsoil from arable land and soil from the river banks to make bricks. For chimneys, they use the ones either made from corrugated iron sheets or tin drums.

Locals say the brick factories are destroying the environment, agricultural land and woods as the local administrations of the two neighbouring districts are giving a blind eye to the problem.

During a visit last week, the UNB correspondent saw two brick kilns on cropland in...