Photo by colorofash at flickr.com
A story out of India this weekend about people who haul coal by bicycle struck me for two reasons: 1) it's about bikes, and more importantly, 2) it shows the risks people will take to scratch out a living.
The reporter interviewed coal carriers in the Jharkhand area of eastern India, where abandoned coal mines still cough up enough fuel for locals to illegally mine and transport to larger cities for sale on the black market.
It's a dangerous business. The bicyclists haul 1.5 quintal (330 pounds) of coal by bicycle on narrow roads out of the hills 30 or 40 miles to their destination. They'll make a couple of trips a week, earning less than $70 a month for their efforts.
Illness and injury
The bicyclists suffer from TB and injuries in accidents, according to the article (“Jharkhand's bicycle coal carriers court death for living“) on IndiaPRwire. About 20 coal carriers die annually from each cause; the reporter estimates more than a thousand are involved in the business.
“Poverty is the main reason for taking up such a job. The people who ferry coal thus face serious risk two ways – frequent accidents during the journey or tuberculosis overcomes them.
“On steep roads, these men push the coal-laden bicycles with their chest, holding the handle with their hands. If the balance is lost, it can mean a free fall in the ditch alongside the road.”
Coal carrying is illegal, because the coal is removed illegally from abandoned mines. A mining company official said he doesn't blame the coal carriers who are trying to earn a little money.
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