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Published : 27 Apr 2026, 01:38 AM
Key takeaways
• Chhatak’s historic lime trade has become an environmental concern, with many traditional paju kilns now operating beside homes, roads, playgrounds and paddy fields.
• Most lime-burning kilns lack official approval, according to Chhatak UNO, though some gas-fired units have permission.
• Wood-fired kilns are fuelling tree felling, as workers say a single kiln can require 1,500–1,800 maunds of wood for one production cycle.
• Health and environmental risks are mounting, as experts warn of toxic smoke, lime dust, respiratory illness, asthma, skin disease and damage to crops and vegetation.
For centuries, the town of Chhatak in Bangladesh’s northeastern Sunamganj district has been associated with limestone and lime production. But what was once seen as a local industrial heritage is now being blamed for a growing environmental and public health crisis.
Dozens of traditional lime kilns, known locally as paju, have sprung up across Chhatak municipality and surrounding areas. Many burn imported limestone from India using firewood, often beside roads, homes, playgrounds, and paddy fields.
Local residents say the kilns burn continuously for 20 to 25 days at a time, filling nearby areas with smoke. They also allege widespread tree felling to feed the kilns, while those behind the business are often politically and socially influential.
Diplomacy Chakma, the Upazila administrator (UNO) of Chhatak, acknowledged the scale of the problem.
“Most of the paju used for lime burning have no approval,” he said. “Some gas-fired kilns have government approval. The Upazila administration, Department of Environment and Forest Department have conducted drives. A list of illegal kilns has been ordered. The illegal ones will be demolished.”
Chhatak’s limestone trade has deep roots. Its rise as a commercial centre began in the 16th century, while the lime trade took more formal shape under the East India Company in the late 18th century.
The abundance of limestone later led to the establishment of the Assam-Bengal Cement Factory in 1937, later renamed Chhatak Cement Factory.
But the industry has changed. Where lime was once made using straw and later gas-fired kilns, many traders have recently turned to wood-fired earthen kilns to cut costs and increase profit.
Selim Chowdhury, president of the Chhatak Limestone Importers and Suppliers Group, said wood-fired kilns began appearing in the Tatikona area around two years ago and later spread across the town.
Drivers and residents say at least 50 such kilns have appeared along the road from Hasnabad to the entrance of Chhatak town, with more inside Kaluluka village and the municipal area. Some have been built beside homes, fields and roads leading to the Surma River bridge.
The Department of Environment says it has refused applications for wood-fired kilns because they are not environmentally friendly.
Mohammad Mohaiminul Haque, assistant director of the department in Sunamganj, said owners of 25 wood-fired kilns had been served notices to shut down. Mobile courts will be deployed to destroy illegal kilns, he said.
The economics are stark. Lime kiln workers say one paju can burn 75 tonnes of limestone to produce about 1,000 maunds (roughly 40,000 kg) of lime, requiring around 1,500 maunds of firewood. In another kiln, workers said 1,400 maunds of lime required 1,800 maunds of wood.
Lime sells for between Tk 800 and Tk 1,200 per maund, depending on the market. Building one kiln can cost Tk 120,000 to Tk 150,000, while some owners add tin sheds to protect them during the monsoon.
The trade remains substantial. According to Arun Das, general secretary of the Chhatak Limestone Importers and Suppliers Group, around 80,000 tonnes of limestone are imported into Chhatak each year. Between 50 and 60 kilns, including gas and wood-fired units, process limestone into lime, with each kiln operating three to four cycles annually.
Environmental experts say the health risks are serious.
Professor Mohammad Jahirul Hoque, vice-chancellor of Sylhet Metropolitan University and an organiser of the environmental group Dharitri Rakkhay Amra, said the kilns operate much like brickfields but without formal industrial safeguards.
“These are neither proper industries nor regulated factories. They have no approval and no monitoring,” he said.
He warned that toxic black smoke and lime dust spread through the air and settle on farmland. Workers face the highest risks, including respiratory illness, skin disease and asthma, while nearby communities are also exposed.
Anwar Hossain, associate professor of geography and environment at the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, said limestone imported from Meghalaya should be processed in enclosed plants, not in the open.
“Transport from the Dawki border and open-air crushing leave layers of dust on nearby trees and vegetation,” Hossain added. “The long-term impact on public health and the environment could be severe.”
He said importing finished limestone products, where possible, would reduce environmental damage. Until then, dust control through water spraying and other mitigation measures is urgently needed.
For Chhatak, the dilemma is clear: a trade built on limestone shaped its history and economy. But without regulation, cleaner technology and enforcement, that heritage risks becoming a noose around the town’s neck.
