Mine madness
This is not the first accident of its kind. Mining equipment in the country is outdated and safety measures inadequate. The lives of the impoverished people who work in one of the most dangerous industries are apparently dispensable. We hear eight members of a single family have perished. Their ages are unknown, but the use of child labour in the mining sector is a common phenomenon. Despite the signing of international conventions by Pakistan barring the use of children for dangerous work, the practice continues. There is also the question of who is responsible for accidents of the kind that has occurred close to Quetta. The Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation had leased the mines to private contractors. It is not known if rules and regulations regarding the running of mines were followed or the welfare of workers who toil deep down under the surface of the earth protected. In most cases, this does not happen. The systematic demolition of unions that has continued over the last three decades has added to the hazards miners face. Today, they lack the voice to speak out for their own rights or even to try and protect their own lives. Many are underpaid and subjected to all kinds of exploitation. Their poverty leaves them unable to adopt a safer means of earning a livelihood in times of high unemployment.
This is an issue the government needs to look at with some urgency. There are over 2,200 mines in the country run by 60,000 miners who also face all kinds of health risks due to the environment in which they work. Conditions are medieval and many workers are exposed to serious health hazards. The improvements in equipment and warning systems installed in other nations are still non-existent here. It is high time this happened so more lives are not lost.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 22nd, 2011.
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