Unseasonal rain may spur demand for fly ash bricks

Manufacturers of fly ash bricks are gearing up for a surge in demand, as the production of clay bricks has been disrupted owing to the unseasonal wet spells in northern India caused by western disturbances. Rain at regular intervals has hampered brick-making over the past two months, and this is expected to create a shortage of clay bricks.

The manufacture of clay brick involves open-site jobs without any sheds. The bricks are moulded in the open and left to dry for two weeks. The frequent wet spells during the winter gone by prevented the moulded bricks from drying.

The moulding and drying of green bricks is a fifteen-day process after it is baked in a kiln, and one shower can destroy the entire lot. An average-sized brick kiln makes around one million bricks a month.

The remoulding and drying would add Rs1 to the cost of a brick. Punjab’s brick kiln owners are considering revising the cost of clay bricks by Rs1 per brick to overcome losses. This may increase the demand for fly ash bricks, as they would be more cost-effective. About 14,000 players across the country make fly ash bricks, with an average capacity of 15,000 per day. 

A brick made from fly ash is almost fifty paisa cheaper than a clay brick, and is more durable. A price hike in clay bricks would certainly trigger increased demand for fly ash bricks, said Anil Arora, director of the New Delhi-based Centre for Innovative Building Material.

Fly ash bricks are made through a mechanised manufacturing process and unlike clay bricks, they are made in sheds. So weather variations do not affect the manufacturing process. The dependence on labour is also less, as bricks are made mechanically and have a smaller carbon footprint. 

Guidelines issued by the National Green Tribunal in January 2015 make it mandatory for brick kiln owners to seek environmental clearance from the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change for mining the earth. As the implementation of mining laws is not as stringent and transparent under the state government as it is under the Central government, many kiln owners are finding it difficult to comply.

“There has been almost no brick manufacturing for the past two months and our investments are going waste. A brick kiln owner has to pay Rs4.5-5 lakh per annum as VAT to the state in a lump sum in Punjab. The Punjab Brick Kiln Owners’ Association has sought a relaxation from the state government and has advised that VAT should be levied ad valorem,” said K K Khanduja, senior vice-president, All India Brick Kiln Owners’ Association.

There are close to 3,000 brick kilns in Punjab and a third of these have closed down owing to lack of environment clearance.

Some progressive brick kiln owners are considering diversifying into fly ash bricks. A plant having a capacity of 10,000 fly ash bricks a day can be constructed at a cost of Rs25 lakh, and a plant of this size has a labour requirement of just 10 persons. 

The construction sector may face some challenges as technology upgradation takes time, and disruption in conventional brick making may add to their costs.