Ruptly
"As the global fuel prices spike, a group of women every day search for 'black gold', coal dust, in the sewer behind the Barapukuria Coal Mine in Dinajpur in a desperate attempt to keep their families afloat. Footage filmed on Saturday, May 9, shows women neck-deep in murky water that passes by the local mine to collect tiny pieces of coal. "We collect coal here; sometimes we earn 150-200 taka, sometimes we earn 500 taka. This does not meet our family expenses. We live with difficulty. I do not have a husband; for 20 years we have been collecting coal here and making a living,” one of the coal collectors, Rahima Begum, shared. According to the collectors, each group has the opportunity to work one day per week. They are divided into two groups that work in shifts of 24 hours. One group collects coal dust during the day, while the other collects it at night. Even during storms, rains, or winter, they must go down into the dirty water to search for coal dust. "We have a lot of trouble with water here. Apart from storms and rains, poisonous animals, including snakes, often pass over our heads. We work hard and sweat our heads to earn a little money," Bibi Mariam said, adding, "We have to work hard here, but coal is not available much." Despite the severe negative effects on their health, such as skin infections, respiratory issues, and reproductive health complications, local women are cornered by the lack of any other way to earn a living and have no other choice but to continue their hard labour. "They have not given me anything; they have taken my two bighas of land, demolished houses and made a coal mine. They have not even given me compensation. They have not given us any grant from the government," Nurse Rani shared. Barapukuria Coal Mine is the only active underground coal mine in Bangladesh. It is run by Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited, a subsidiary of the state-owned Petrobangla. Shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for roughly 20 per cent of global oil and liquefied natural gas, have driven prices higher and strained imports. The disruption follows escalating tensions after the United States and Israel launched joint military operations against Iran on February 28."
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