5472 x 3648 px | 46,3 x 30,9 cm | 18,2 x 12,2 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
26 marzo 2017
Ubicazione:
Savar, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh
Altre informazioni:
Toiling under the baking hot tropical sun, these workers are carrying out back-breaking and exhausting labour in the most perilous conditions. Ranging in age from pre-teens to grandparents, they work long hours to churn out millions of bricks to fuel a construction boom that shows no signs of abating. The cities of Bangladesh - one of the world's most densely populated countries - are growing fast, and there's a never-ending need for cheap construction materials. However, the millions of workers who make the bricks face harsh and uncertain conditions. Brick-making provides a better income than agriculture or other jobs available in rural Bangladesh, but it is dangerous and often devastating to workers' health. Accidents are common and workers have no protective gear, save for what they are able to cobble together themselves. Brick making in Bangladesh's estimated 6, 000 authorised brickfields is still carried out according to a system that is some 150 years old. The production process begins with workers hacking mud from the earth with picks and shovels. From the moment it is excavated the sun begins to dry it out so water must be constantly mixed in to keep it workable. Balancing the heavy loads atop their heads, workers must carry the raw mud to the brick making area, where skilled artisans shape it using brick moulds filled by hand. After pressing, each mould is emptied out and the bricks are left to dry in the sun before being taken to the kiln for firing.