The Human and Environmental Toll of Bangladesh’s Construction Boom
Bangladesh’s construction boom has fueled an insatiable demand for sand and gravel, creating an acute shortage of these crucial building materials. To meet this demand, the Himalayan rivers in the country's north are relentlessly mined for their high-quality stones, particularly during the dry season. The stones are crushed into gravel, a backbone of the construction sector.
Tamabil and Bholaganj, prominent riverine sites, witness an influx of thousands of migrant workers and their families. Men, women, and even children labor under extreme conditions, extracting and carrying stones by hand. Their grueling work forms the unseen foundation of the country’s urban expansion. Yet, their plight extends beyond physical hardship; the work is dangerous, poorly remunerated, and perpetuates cycles of poverty.
During the wet season, stone extraction continues, albeit underwater. Workers dive into rain-swollen rivers, risking their lives to retrieve stones from the depths. This year-round operation magnifies the environmental impact. Constant dredging disrupts river ecosystems, alters water courses, and erodes riverbanks, exacerbating flooding risks and undermining biodiversity.
The human and environmental costs of this frantic exploitation are monumental. While the construction boom symbolizes progress, it also underscores the need for sustainable practices and fair labor conditions. Without intervention, Bangladesh risks sacrificing its rivers and the dignity of its workers for fleeting economic gains.
Seasonal migramt workers extracting stones from the river bed during the dry season, Tamabil in Bangladesh, December 2015
Stone diver recovering stones from the riverbed. Goyain river in Jaflong, Bangladesh, May 2016
Extraction pumps spilling out water containing stones that are essential to supply the booming construction sector, Dholai river, Bangladesh, December 2015
Child labour in the Jaflong stone extraction sites, Bangladesh, December 2015
Makeshift dwelling of a seasonal stone digger, Goyain river bed in northern Bangladesh, December 2015
Stone carriers under an extraction pump in the Dholai river in Bholaganj, Bangladesh, December 2015
Stone diggers fetching risidual stones under the water extraction pumps, Dholai river in Bholaganj, Bangladesh, December 2015
Stone diggers, Jaflon, Bangladesh, December 2015
Goyain riverbed where stones for the contruction sector are being extracted, Jaflong, Bangladesh, December 2015
Woman unloading a small barge, Bholaganj, Bangladesh, December 2015
Goyain riverbed where stones for the contruction sector are being extracted, Jaflong, Bangladesh, December 2015
Stone crusher, Bholaganj, Bangladesh, December 2015
Goyain riverbed where stones for the contruction sector are being extracted, Jaflong, Bangladesh, December 2015
Stone extraction plant on the Dholai river in Northern Bangladesh, May 2016.
Child collecting stones in Goyain river bed, Jaflong in Bangladesh, December 2015
Children collecting small residual stones behind the extraction pumps, Bholaganj, Bangladesh, December 2015
Bholaganj stone extraction site along the Dholai river, Bangladesh, December 2015
Children collecting stones in the Dholai river bed, Bholaganj in Bangladesh, December 2015
Extraction pumps spilling out water containing stones that are essential to supply the booming construction sector, Dholai river, Bangladesh, December 2015
Diver fetching stones at a depth 4 to 8m in the Goyain river near Tamabil, Bangladesh, May 2016
Extraction pumps spilling out water containing stones that are essential to supply the booming construction sector, Dholai river, Bangladesh, December 2015
Dholai river in Bholaganj where stone extracted from the river are brought at land, Sylhet region, Bangladesh, December 2015
Stone divers sorting stones that will later be used to supply the booming construction sector. Dholai river in Bholaganj, Bangladesh, May 2016
Subject of a frantic construction boom, Bangladesh is in acute shortage of sand and gravel for building purposes. The Himalayan rivers in the north of the country are being dug up during the dry season for their quality stones that will be crushed into gravel for the construction sector. Thousand of migrant workers converge to Tamabil and Bholaganj with their entire families to extract and carry stones by hand. This is the story of these women, children and men working relentlessly in extreme conditions. Extraction pumps spilling out water containing stones that are essential to supply the booming construction sector, Dholai river, Bangladesh, December 2015
Diver fetching stones at a depth 4 to 8m in the Goyain river near Tamabil, Bangladesh, May 2016
Stone carrier, Bholaganj extration site in the Dholai river, Bangladesh, December 2015
Repair of boat used to recover stones from the Goyain riverbed. Jaflong, Bangladesh, May 2016
Stone divers recovering stones from the riverbed. Goyain river in Jaflong, Bangladesh, May 2016
Stone Extraction plant along the Goyain river in Jaflong. The recovered stones will be supplied for the contruction sector. Tamabil, Bangladesh on the border with India, May 2016
Trucks collecting stones from the Goyain river before bringing them to contruction sites throughout the country, Jaflong, Bangladesh, May 2016
