Breathing Silica

Hafijul Molla’s hand involuntarily slips to the pocket of his scruffy shirt.

- Saptarshi Deb

He pats the pocket, probingly. Reassured finding his inhaler intact, he continues with his story. Molla, a resident of the Goaldaha village of the Minakhan Block, North 24 Parganas district is the secretary of the Silicosis Sramik Sangrami Mancha (SSSM).

The year was 2009. A severe cyclonic storm, Aila, had hit the West Bengal and Odisha coastline. Among the worst affected were the villages in deltaic Sunderbans. The saline waters of the intricate river network in the region had flooded numerous villages. The saline deposit left by the receding brackish floodwater rendered the farmlands in the region agriculturally unsuitable. According to Molla, “We were traditionally agriculturists. However, after Aila we had to look for other livelihood options. We were forced to migrate to work in stone crushing plants and that was the beginning of our misery.”

An endemic situation

According to the estimates of the SSSM, there are 205 reported cases of silicosis in the Dhuturdaga Gram Panchayat area of the Minakhan Block of the North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal. Molla stated, “26 people have lost their lives and around 60 are in highly critical situation. The villages of Goaldaha, Debitala and Dhuturdaga in our block are worst affected. There have been reported silicosis cases in the neighbouring blocks as well.”

He continued, “When we lost our livelihood after the Aila, we were forced to migrate. Most of the men from this area found employment in crusher plants in distant locations like Jamuria and Asansol (In Burdwan district). Most of us worked there for six to seven years before we realised that we were being inflicted by silicosis.”