zReportage.com Story of the Week #760: TUESDAY November 3, 2020: 'CURSE OF COAL' from ZUMA Press award winning photographer Supratim Bhattacharje who specializes in human rights in the Indian subcontinent: Jharkhand state in eastern India is mineral-rich, but a majority of its people is dirt poor. As in the rest of the country where some 28 million children work to supplement their families' meagre incomes, 400,000 children aged between five and 14 work in Jharkhand. Children blackened with coal dust, serve as daily reminders of the dark truths of the estimated 15,000 coal mines in the state. Child labour is forbidden in India, but given the proximity to mines, many children work in them. Welcome to: 'CURSE OF COAL'
© zReportage.com Story Summary: zReportage.com Story of the Week #760: TUESDAY November 3, 2020: 'CURSE OF COAL' from ZUMA Press award winning photographer Supratim Bhattacharje who specializes in human rights in the Indian subcontinent: Jharkhand state in eastern India is mineral-rich, but a majority of its people is dirt poor. As in the rest of the country where some 28 million children work to supplement their families' meagre incomes, 400,000 children aged between five and 14 work in Jharkhand. Children blackened with coal dust, serve as daily reminders of the dark truths of the estimated 15,000 coal mines in the state. Child labour is forbidden in India, but given the proximity to mines, many children work in them. Welcome to: 'CURSE OF COAL'

Three women coal scavengers with wicker baskets balanced their heads filled with coal, walk slowly from a coal mine. The coal they collect earns them roughly $2 USD per day. With few jobs available to those without a formal education, many of Jharia’s residents work as coal loaders for roughly 1,000 rupees (about $15 USD) a week, or risk their lives scavenging coal to scrape a living.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

A coal scavenger's blackened feet on the ground in Jharia coal mine region. Respiratory diseases like tuberculosis, bronchitis and asthma are all common ailments caused by the fumes and poor air quality in the area.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

Two young coal scavengers stuffing coal they collected from the ground into cloth sacks. Trucks overloaded with coal sometimes drop coal chunks which is then collected by the coal scavengers in Jharia.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

A villager shows coal that has been scavenged illegally at one of Jharia's many state-owned coal mines. With few jobs available to those without a formal education, many of Jharia's residents work as coal loaders for roughly 1,000 rupees (about $15 USD) a week, or risk their lives scavenging coal to scrape a living.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

A little boy walks through clouds of toxic gases towards his village with his umbrella during the monsoon in Jharia. Coal fires spew clouds of smoke into the already heavily polluted air.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

Young girls working illegally as coal scavengers fill wicker baskets with coal from a open pit mine in Jharia. The children earn about $2 USD per day selling the coal they carry out by hand.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

AARTI, an 8 years old girl, supports her family by extracting coal from the coal mine, where she earns roughly $2 USD per day. Children as small as seven or eight years old and women put their lives in danger by going several feet below the ground to collect leftover coal.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

Three young girls collecting coal from the side of the road and load into plastic buckets. Coal filled trucks sometimes drop coal chunks which are then picked up by the coal scavengers.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

With a coal filled basket on her head, a little girl is carries coal from a dumping ground. Respiratory diseases like tuberculosis, bronchitis and asthma are all common ailments caused by the fumes.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

SIMA, is a 7 years old girl, who works in the mine extracting coal to help support her family. It is estimated 2,500-3,000 children are involved in coal scavenging due to acute poverty.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

NASIR, 19, is a coal scavenger who regularly collects coal illegally from a coal filled truck. Jharia is the largest coal mine with the highest turn over of coal in India. Respiratory diseases like tuberculosis, bronchitis and asthma are all common ailments caused by the fumes and poor air quality around the mines.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

With blocks of coal balanced on their heads young children work as coal scavengers in a coal mine in Jharia. The extreme living conditions and poverty, illnesses and high illiteracy among the population force the villagers in some cases to sell their children into slavery with the coal mining mafias.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

NITIN is 8 years old and works illegally as a coal miner, he earns about $1 USD a day. Coal dust is omnipresent in Jharia and clothes turn dark black with soot within minutes of being kept outside in the open.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

An underground fire is seen in an open pit coal mine of Jharia. The coal fields have been burning since a coal bed fire began in 1916, resulting in 37 millions tons of coal consumed to date. Ground subsidence and water and air pollution are common in the surrounding communities.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

PUNAM (left) a 10 year old illegal coal scavenger and her sister, who together earn approximately $4 USD daily. Doctors blame increasing pollution for children becoming deformed in Jharia. In 2018, a study conducted by the state government among children aged between 6-14 years found 650 of them were suffering from disabilities, including 150 afflicted with cerebral palsy.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

Local children standing near burning coals from an underground coal bed fire. Jharia Coalfield is located in eastern of India's Jharkhand state, and represents the largest coal reserves in India with an estimated 19.4 billion tonnes of coal. The coalfield is an important contributor to the local economy, employing much of the local population.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

BABURAM, is a 3 year old boy working illegally in the mines. It is estimated 2,500-3,000 children are involved in coal scavenging due to acute poverty.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

SIKHA is only 3 years old and works illegally as a coal miner. It is estimated 2,500-3,000 children are involved in coal scavenging due to acute poverty.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

KARIM, a boy of 8 years, is standing near toxic gases venting from the underground coal mine. Heavy fumes emitted by the fires lead to severe health problems such as breathing disorders and skin diseases among the local population.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

RAVI is 7 years old and earns roughly 1$ USD daily working in the mines illegally. Children as small as seven or eight years old and women put their lives in danger by going several feet below the ground to collect leftover coal.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire

As flames spew from the earth, a man is stands in front of his damaged house, now derelict due to the underground coal fire. The coal field fire that has burned underground for nearly a century. A 2007 estimate, described 37 millions tons of coal consumed by the fires since their origination.
© Supratim Bhattacharjee/ZUMA Wire