Of stones and men April 2011

During the monsoons, the river currents wash down stones, rocks and pebbles which are prized by the construction industry. At dawn every single day, more than a hundred tiny boats float down the river, packed with labourers, buckets and spades in hand. But the number of stones found in the riverbed has been steadily decreasing, particularly with the use of heavy machinery. This makes the trade increasingly risky, as the labourers are now forced to work near or enter no-man’s land along the India-Bangladesh border. Numerous labourers (no exact figures are available due to the sensitivity of the issue) have reportedly been killed in firing by India’s Border Security Force (BSF), which patrols the area.

 

More than 10,000 men, women and children are engaged in gathering stones from the riverbed. Smaller stones are transported directly to cities in Bangladesh, to feed the construction industry, while the large ones are crushed by the stone-crushing machines. As many as 250 huge machines are engaged in stone-crushing, and over 2000 truckloads of stones are crushed here every single day. The Bangladeshi government has made little effort to regulate the industry, and the labourers earn paltry amounts and have few rights. They receive no compensation for injuries or for long-term effects on their health. The industry also poses a serious threat to public health, environment and agriculture in the area. 

 

Arable lands are fast becoming unproductive, and the rich biodiversity of the area has been severely affected. The stone-crushing machines create huge amounts of sound and dust pollution, with children in particular suffering hearing problems because of the incessant high-pitched noise of the machines. Abul Hossain, a local farmer, says that their lands do not produce any crops, as the dust from the stone-crushing has blanketed their fields. The worst affected are the Khasias, the indigenous people of the area. As Probal Das, a stone worker, puts it, ‘Once upon a time a blue river flowed through Jaflong, but it is now losing its natural beauty. Uncontrolled stone-crushing threatens the local people’s health.’ 

 

-- Khaled Hasan is a documentary photographer based in Dhaka.