Stone workers cutting land and collect stones at Jaflong...
BHOLAGANJ, SYLHET, BANGLADESH - 2015/07/16: Stone workers cutting land and collect stones at Jaflong Stone Quarry field.
The crystal clear water of the Piyain River, which flows from India through Bangladesh, is dying a slow death. Not long ago, the river that flowed through Jaflong was blue. Now it is losing its natural beauty and uncontrolled stone crushing threatens the health of the local people. History in this region is measured in the monsoon rains. The story centers around the hard working community of Jaflong. Jaflong is located at the foot of the beautiful Meghalaya Hills in the northeastern part of Bangladesh. It was once known for its lush green hills, rolling tea gardens, and a mosaic of stones and rocks. Now Jaflong is changing. Its bright blue skies are covered with thick smoke and dust.The river used to be the most striking asset of Jaflong. During monsoons the river currents wash down precious rocks and pebbles.Today it is the hub of the stone-crushing industry but the river isdying, losing its vitality and beauty.Every day at the crack of dawn, hundreds of little black and grey boats descend into the river. Laborers of all ages clamor about the river with buckets and spades in hand collecting the stones. They dig,pull out the stones, and carry them on their heads to the hundreds of noisy stone-crushing machines. The stone rush has turned the riverbank into a giant, stinking, clanging labyrinth of cranes, fractured rocks, trucks, gaping craters, dunes, boats and shacks. More than 10,000 men, women and children work as stone laborers. Hundreds continue to migrate to Jaflong in search of jobs at the stone crushing sites. Uncontrolled and unstoppable stone extracting and crushing is harming the environment; endangering the health of workers, creating sound and air pollution, and shrinking the biodiversity of the region. (Photo by Yousuf Tushar/LightRocket via Getty Images)
