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249 images Created 16 Mar 2010

Hell beneath Earth - coal mine migrants of Jharkhand.

Beneath Jharia, a remote region of eastern India, lie dozens of massive underground fires, forever threatening the lives and health of the nearly half a million people who live above.
While the government allocated $1.6bn to relocating 100,000 families in 1999, to this date just over 1,000 have been moved. Those who remain behind suffer from respiratory illnesses including tuberculosis, exacerbated by clouds of smoke that leak through blackened cracks in dry rock beds, streams and clouds of methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur oxide, particulate selenium and arsenic. They endure giant gashes in the earth spewing flames. But those who have been relocated aren’t much better off – the government has built hundreds of three-story apartment buildings to house the displaced. Built just three years ago, they look decades old, and the streets of the township the government has built have rapidly devolved into slum-like conditions, without proper sewerage or any amenities, and far from gainful employment.
A bleak and naturally striking setting, poverty-stricken, remote and forgotten people and their struggles in the face of a lucrative natural resource, Jharia is the story buried beneath those billions of dollars, the dirty end of a dirty business in India.
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  • An overview of the coal mines of Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-001.JPG
  • Young boys are seen at the Bokapahari village overlooking the coal mines in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.
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  • Miners return to Bokapahari from work after a day long work from the coal mines of Jharia in Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • Local vendors collect coal in the early hours of the morning in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-004.JPG
  • A child looks on while raw coal is burnt to process the coal in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-005.JPG
  • A local villager is seen sitting on coal in Borapahari village in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-006.JPG
  • Villagers gather outside their huts in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-007.JPG
  • Villagers gather outside their huts in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-008.JPG
  • Villagers gather outside their huts in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-009.JPG
  • Villagers gather outside a tea shop in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-010.JPG
  • Villagers gather to have tea in a chai stall in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-011.JPG
  • A customer waits while a tailor is seen stitching in his makeshift tailoring shop in village Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-012.JPG
  • Young children seen in their home in Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-013.JPG
  • The burning coal mine is seen  village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-014.JPG
  • A young man walks over the the burning coal mines in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-015.JPG
  • The burning coal mine is seen  village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-016.JPG
  • Young children dig out coal from the open cast mines in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • A young is seen carrying huge piles raw coal from the open cast mines in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • Young children and other residents dig out coal from the open cast mines in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-019.JPG
  • 13 year old Shanti Sahuji is seen carrying raw coal from the open cast mines in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • Young children dig out coal from the open cast mines in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-021.JPG
  • 13 year old Neets Mandal digs out coal from the open cast mines in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-022.JPG
  • Local villagers dig out coal from the open cast mines and carry them back to their village in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-023.JPG
  • Local villagers dig out coal from the open cast mines and carry them back to their village in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-024.JPG
  • Young children dig out coal from the open cast mines in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-025.JPG
  • Young children dig out coal from the open cast mines and carry them back to their village in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-026.JPG
  • Young children dig out coal from the open cast mines and carry them back to their village in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-027.JPG
  • Young children dig out coal from the open cast mines and carry them back to their village in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-028.JPG
  • Young children dig out coal from the open cast mines and carry them back to their village in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-029.JPG
  • Young children dig out coal from the open cast mines and carry them back to their village in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-030.JPG
  • Young children and other villagers dig out coal from the open cast mines and carry them back to their village in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-031.JPG
  • Local residents gather raw coal and process it in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-032.JPG
  • Local residents gather raw coal and process it in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-033.JPG
  • A young boy takes a break from work in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-034.JPG
  • Local residents gather raw coal and process it in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-035.JPG
  • Local residents gather raw coal and process it in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-036.JPG
  • Local residents gather raw coal and process it in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-037.JPG
  • Local residents gather raw coal and process it in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-038.JPG
  • A young man looks on while residents gather raw coal and process it in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-039.JPG
  • Local residents gather raw coal and process it in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-040.JPG
  • Young girls share a light moment while local residents gather raw coal and process it in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-041.JPG
  • Miner in Jharia mines, Jalo Bhuia poses for a portrait in Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. The miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-042.JPG
  • A miner poses for a portrait in Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. The miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-043.JPG
  • A young miner, Vijay Bhuia poses for a portrait in Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. The miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-044.JPG
  • A young miner, Arbeen Bhuia poses for a portrait in Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. The miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-045.JPG
  • The miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-046.JPG
  • Miner in Jharia, Raju poses for a portrait in Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. The miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-047.JPG
  • Miner in Jharia mines, Mathura Bhuia poses for a portrait in Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. The miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-048.JPG
  • Miner in Jharia mines, Govinda Bhuia poses for a portrait in Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. The miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-049.JPG
  • Miner in Jharia mines, Tinku Bhuia poses for a portrait in Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. The miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-050.JPG
  • After a long days' work, miners gather to distribute the days wage in village Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-051.JPG
  • After a long days' work, miners gather to distribute the days wage in village Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-052.JPG
  • After a long days' work, miners gather to distribute the days wage in village Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-053.JPG
  • After a long days' work, miners gather to wash themselves in village Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-054.JPG
  • After a long days' work, miners gather to wash themselves in village Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. miners work for 9-10 hours a day and make Rs.150 ($3.5) a day loading the coal trucks in the BCCL coal mines in Jharia. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-055.JPG
  • Loal resident of Bokapahari village, Mukhtar Ansari poses for a portrait  next to burning coal fires in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-056.JPG
  • 61 year old Shrawan Kumar Sinha speaks of his deceased grand daughter, Jyoti Kumari who fell into a coal pit back in 19th sept 2009 in Kujama Basti, in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-057.JPG
  • 61 year old Shrawan Kumar Sinha (right) speaks of his deceased grand daughter, Jyoti Kumari who fell into a coal pit back in 19th sept 2009 in Kujama Basti, in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • Residents near the coal mine talk of problems of dust and pollution in Kujama Basti, in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • Trucks carry coal in Kujama Basti, in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • Residents near the coal mine talk of problems of dust and pollution in Kujama Basti, in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-061.JPG
  • Residents near the coal mine talk of problems of dust and pollution in Kujama Basti, in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-062.JPG
  • Residents near the coal mine talk of problems of dust and pollution in Kujama Basti, in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-063.JPG
  • Paswan complains of his son suffering from physical  disabilities as he is paralysed due to neurological problem. Residents near the coal mine talk of problems of dust and pollution in Kujama Basti, in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-064.JPG
  • Paswan (centre) complains of his son suffering from physical  disabilities as he is paralysed due to neurological problem. Residents near the coal mine talk of problems of dust and pollution in Kujama Basti, in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-065.JPG
  • Young children attend tution classes in a small house. Residents near the coal mine talk of problems of dust and pollution in Kujama Basti, in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-066.JPG
  • Rakesh Sinha, Director Technical (Operations) of Coal India speaks during an interview in his office in BCCL (Bharat Coking Coal Limited) headquarters in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • A cyclist points to the newly constructed rehabilitation colony in Belgharia, outskirts of Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Residents living in Bokapahari will be relocated to these small apartments. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • The newly constructed rehabilitation colony in Belgharia, outskirts of Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Residents living in Bokapahari will be relocated to these small apartments. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • Construction workers are seen working on the newly constructed rehabilitation colony in Belgharia, outskirts of Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Residents living in Bokapahari will be relocated to these small apartments. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-070.JPG
  • Construction workers are seen working on the newly constructed rehabilitation colony in Belgharia, outskirts of Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Residents living in Bokapahari will be relocated to these small apartments. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-071.JPG
  • Daily wage construction workers are seen working on the newly constructed rehabilitation colony in Belgharia, outskirts of Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. Residents living in Bokapahari will be relocated to these small apartments. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-072.JPG
  • Father of 5, 45 year old, Gopi Bhunia poses for a portrait in his house in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. He had to leave his old house as noxious gases began to erupt from the ground. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-073.JPG
  • Father of 5, 45 year old, Gopi Bhunia poses for a portrait in his house in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. He had to leave his old house as noxious gases began to erupt from the ground. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-074.JPG
  • A local resident points at the cracks that have developed from fires burning underneath the ground in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • Local residents work outside an abandoned house that developed cracks from fires burning underneath the ground in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-076.JPG
  • 25 year old, Sarfaraz Ansari poses for a portrait outside his house in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. He with his family had to abandon their old house as walls began to crack because of burning coal fires under the ground. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • 25 year old, Sarfaraz Ansari is seen in his shop in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. He with his family had to abandon their old house as walls began to crack because of burning coal fires under the ground. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
    sdas032009_jhariacoal-jharkhand-078.JPG
  • 25 year old, Sarfaraz Ansari is seen outside his house in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. He with his family had to abandon their old house as walls began to crack because of burning coal fires under the ground. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • 25 year old, Sarfaraz Ansari's (not in picture) family in their house in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. He with his family had to abandon their old house as walls began to crack because of burning coal fires under the ground. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • 25 year old, Sarfaraz Ansari (left) seen with his family in his house in village Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. He with his family had to abandon their old house as walls began to crack because of burning coal fires under the ground. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • A villager with his dog in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • Local residents gather raw coal and process it in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • Local residents walk past the coal fires in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Coal fires rage just below the surface of the ground, making it too hot to walk with naked feet, noxious gases spew up from fissures, making the environment toxic. Residents who live above the furnace make $2 a day collecting small chunks of coal they sell to illegal middlemen. One or two houses collapse annually into vast underground caverns left unfilled by abandoned mining operations. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • A young man is seen working on the coal fires in Bokapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • Mother and child in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India. Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • Local villagers dig out coal from the open cast mines and carry them back to their village in Borapahari in Jharia, Jharkhand, India.  Photo: Sanjit Das
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  • A child play outside his house in Belgharia township outside of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India.  Families from various villages with underground fires have been rehabilitated in Belgharia township. Photo: Sanjit Das/Panos
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  • Children play in the grounds in Belgharia township outside of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India. Families from various villages with underground fires have been rehabilitated in Belgharia township. Photo: Sanjit Das/Panos
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  • Children play in the grounds in Belgharia township outside of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India. Families from various villages with underground fires have been rehabilitated in Belgharia township. Photo: Sanjit Das/Panos
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  • Children play in the grounds in Belgharia township outside of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India. Families from various villages with underground fires have been rehabilitated in Belgharia township. Photo: Sanjit Das/Panos
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  • Children play in the grounds in Belgharia township outside of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India. Families from various villages with underground fires have been rehabilitated in Belgharia township. Photo: Sanjit Das/Panos
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  • Children play in the grounds in Belgharia township outside of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India. Families from various villages with underground fires have been rehabilitated in Belgharia township. Photo: Sanjit Das/Panos
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  • A woman with a child walk past a makeshift shop in the in Belgharia township outside of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India. Families from various villages with underground fires have been rehabilitated in Belgharia township. Photo: Sanjit Das/Panos
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  • A resident lights up the coal stove outside his flat in Belgharia township outside of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India. Families from various villages with underground fires have been rehabilitated in Belgharia township. Photo: Sanjit Das/Panos
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  • An overview of Belgharia township outside of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India.  Families from various villages with underground fires have been rehabilitated in Belgharia township. Photo: Sanjit Das/Panos
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  • 42 year old Ashok Paswan poses for a photo outside the two alloted units in Belgharia township outside of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India.  Families from various villages with underground fires have been rehabilitated in Belgharia township. Photo: Sanjit Das/Panos
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  • 42 year old Ashok Paswan poses for a photo outside the two alloted units in Belgharia township outside of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India.  Families from various villages with underground fires have been rehabilitated in Belgharia township. Photo: Sanjit Das/Panos
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  • A family seen outside their flats in Belgharia township outside of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India. Families from various villages with underground fires have been rehabilitated in Belgharia township. Photo: Sanjit Das/Panos
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  • Residents seen fishing in a pond in Belgharia township outside of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India. Families from various villages with underground fires have been rehabilitated in Belgharia township. Photo: Sanjit Das/Panos
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