Many Bangladeshis facing slow death from silicosis after their return from India

Many Bangladeshis who return from India are suffering from deadly silicosis, the Dhaka-based “Daily Star” newspaper reports. Here is the story by Kongkon Karmaker:

***

Many Bangladeshis are facing slow death from silicosis after their return from India following years of work at stone crushing fields in different states of the neighbouring country.
Silicosis is a form of lung disease that is usually caused by many years of inhalation of silica dust.
Most of these Bangladeshis, especially residents of bordering districts, had long been working illegally at various stone crushing sites in a number of Indian states including Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.
The Bangladeshis entered the neighbouring country in search of jobs and none of them have any valid travel documents.
The Daily Star recently interviewed several such returnee workers who are from Biral upazila in Dinajpur and Pirganj upazila in Thakurgaon.
All of them said that they used to work at different stone crushing plants in India for many years and are now suffering from silicosis.
According to lung disease specialist Prof BK Bose, who is the director of Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences in Dinajpur, silicosis is a fibrotic lung disorder caused by inhalation, retention and pulmonary reaction due to long term exposure to crystalline silica at mines, stone crushing plants and stone quarries.
High exposure to silica can cause silicosis within a month with significant impairment of lungs within few years, he said. "Life becomes shorter if anyone gets infected with silicosis."
Most people in Bangladesh still have little knowledge about the deadly but preventable disease. If anyone gets infected and the stage is at an acute level, the person will surely die at an early age, the professor also said.
Idris Ali, a 35-year-old man from Narabari village in Dinajpur's Biral upazila, crossed into India illegally in search of a job when he was 20.
He said he later got a job at a stone crushing site in Delhi and his initial monthly wage was 5,000 Indian rupees.
Idris returned home in 2016 after working there for ten years.
He fell sick soon after he came home and he primarily took treatment from local quacks. But after his health condition started to deteriorate, he recently saw a doctor in Dinajpur town and was soon diagnosed with silicosis.
Talking to The Daily Star over phone, Idris said many people in his village are still working at various stone crushing fields in different states of India. "If I knew [about the risks], I would not have taken the job," he sighed.
Till date, at least 11 people died of silicosis in Narabari village alone, he also said.
Since the treatment of the disease is highly expensive, he recently stopped getting allopathic treatment in favour of homoeopathic treatment.
Moinul Islam, a 26-year-old from the same village, said he went to India in 2013, looking for a job.
He later got a job at a stone crushing company in Haryana where he worked for six years. He returned home in 2019 and was diagnosed with silicosis recently.
His monthly medicine costs now go as high as Tk 6,000, which is beyond the affordability of his poor family.
While talking with this correspondent, Moinul said around 200 young people, mostly from Dinajpur, Rangpur and Lalmonirhat, work at nearly 200 stone crushing fields in India.
Another returnee worker, Khairul Alam, 29, from Pirganj of Thakurgaon, said he too was unaware of the risks and worked at a stone crushing field in India for five years to support his family in financial hardship.
He returned home in 2019 and was diagnosed with silicosis recently.
Dr BK Bose, the lung specialist in Dinajpur, said five of his silicosis patients had worked at different stone crushing sites in India.
Terming the trend of going to India for job a social problem, he said there are many job opportunities in Bangladesh now. "Awareness could be a solution to the problem."

Comments

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Civil society flags widespread violations of land acquisition Act before Parliamentary panel

By Jag Jivan Civil society organisations and stakeholders from across India have presented stark evidence before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj , alleging systemic violations of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 , particularly in Scheduled Areas and tribal regions.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

Dr. Ram Bux Singh: Biogas pioneer’s legacy gains urgency amid energy crisis

By A Representative In an era defined by a global energy crisis and a desperate search for sustainable solutions, the visionary work of an Indian scientist from the mid-20th century is finding renewed, urgent relevance. Dr. Ram Bux Singh , a pioneering figure in biogas and renewable energy , is being posthumously honored by the Government of India, even as his decades-old innovations provide a blueprint for today’s challenges.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Protesters in UK cities voice concerns over alleged developments in Bastar region

By A Representative Demonstrations were held across several cities in the United Kingdom on March 28, as groups and activists gathered to protest what they described as state actions in India under the reported “Operation Kagar.”

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Search This Blog