Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Salt Farmers

Please see previous picture and post about the salt miners and the pump that was donated to help these poor workers.  These pictures here show first hand the living and working conditions of these salt farmers who work and live 7 months of the year at this site.  After the 7 months, they go back to their villages.  Life for these workers is extremely difficult and dangerous.  They can develop snow blindness from the sun reflecting on the bright salt and the combination of the wind and grit from the salt can cause loss of eye sight.  There is a high infant mortality rate and low life expectancy for these people.  The children of these salt farmers are being deprived an education when parents are working so the poverty cycle and dangerous conditions continue on generation to generation.  Workers have tried striking the conditions 3-4 times, but it has done very little to improve their conditions and the government fears unions so anyone who is caught organizing can be killed.  Plus the workers can't afford to strike as they are paid very little as is to make it from check to check.  This type of work is a skill and can't be done by machine.  There is a process for knowing how and when to harvest salt, and it needs to be a certain size in order to be sent out to be sold.  










20 comments:

  1. I feel sad for them.

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  2. Is being a salt farmer very common in India?

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  3. Do people live in those houses?

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  4. That's heart breaking.They work so much and are expose to chemical which causes blindness for little pay that is horrible.

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  5. These people have a tough life to live. Working everyday, and always needing to give their best, no matter their personal situations.

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  6. Its very sad seeing people have to live like that? Are there any organizations that try to help these people?

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  7. was the land they were on stable or potentially dangerous

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  8. What was so dangerous about the land that they would strike and protest?

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  9. why dont they just wear gloves and sunglasses

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  10. Why do they have to farm for salt?

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  11. This is really cool. Was you able to make your own salt and what would you use to clean the salt if you did?

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  12. What are the men in the picture digging for?

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  13. Would you get in trouble if you take salt home ?

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  14. Did you took some salt with you ?

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  15. how much do they get paid for doing this job?

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  16. how long do they stay out there until they get enough salt?

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  17. How does it feel living at a salt farm for 7 months? And do their families come with them?

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  18. Why do they have to stay there for 7 months?

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  19. I feel very sad that all they life they have to pick salt without a choice. I mustve been hard seeing those people like that.

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  20. Was it India, China, or Africa that was apart of the salt trade/ silk trade? I can't remember but was that beach that Gandhi used to show people how to make their own salt during the salt march.

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