Exposure cum Training Programme On “Cleaner Fired-Clay Brick Production Practices” in Lucknow-Varanasi, India

In most of the developing countries, bricks are mainly produced using traditional technologies and it has severe impacts on climate, agriculture and land use, and health. Efforts are being made in various regions towards improvements in firing technologies and processes and its adoption to make the brick production more energy and resource efficient and less polluting. Various studies have established that these improvements in technology and practices can reduce fuel consumption and pollutants emissions (including black carbon) significantly. The Brick Production Initiative (BPI) of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) is aimed at mitigating emission of black carbon and other pollutants from brick production through establishing networks of experts and facilitating implementation of actions on advancing science-based knowledge, policy development and implementation, and technology adoption. ICIMOD is coordinating this activity in Asia.

The training programmes are part of the ‘Training and Technology Delivery’ component of the brick initiative of CCAC which envisages establishment of several training and technology delivery nodes in South Asia and Latin America. These nodes can help in building capacities of key local actors (brick kiln entrepreneurs, policy makers/implementers and major consumers) through effective delivery of knowledge and cost-effective technological solutions which can lead to low emissions, better working conditions and minimized land degradation. The brick initiative aims to conduct 10-15 training programs in the South Asia region to educate the brick makers and other key stakeholders on cleaner brick-production technologies and practices by fine-tuning these as per the local requirements.