All that glitters…: Gold dust lures scavengers to Peshawar
Job consists of sifting on streets and drains for gold discarded by goldsmiths.
PESHAWAR:
When the sun sets and shops close, gold scavengers come to life, sifting through dirt and sewers for precious yellow scraps they can turn to profit.
It is a painstaking, filthy job reserved for those dreaming of a rags-to-riches fortune.
Yet after nine years on the job and standing up to his waist in muddy water, 19-year-old Murad Ali keeps the dream alive.
“Hey, I got it,” he shouts, yanking out a hand clutching a small gold ring. Droplets of grime splash his face and clothes, but nothing can wipe the grin from his mouth or the glint of happiness in his eyes.
“This is a gold ring. It’ll fetch Rs2, 500,” he says, springing out of the filth to run it under clean tap water.
But pieces of jewellery dropped by careless owners are hard to come by. The usual job is going through the dirt and mud he stores in polythene bags searching, literally, for gold dust.
For the barely literate, the job brings in enough money to feed families and rent homes that would be hard to match in other menial jobs.
“I earn Rs6-7,000 in a week,” Ali says. “My father is a hashish addict. I’m taking care of my family.”
“This job depends on your luck and fortune. Sometimes I earn more. I once got a ring worth Rs10, 000,” he said.
There is no specific data about the number of workers, but local jewellers estimate that hundreds dig for gold in the northwest, where troops are fighting Taliban insurgents and bombings are routine.
Sifting for gold on the streets and in drains begins at dusk and can last until dawn. The dust and filth contain minute particles of gold discarded from goldsmiths who grind down the metal to make jewellery.
The job begins with cleaning the streets with brushes. Others scoop out filth from the drains. Pieces of gold, like Ali’s ring, detected by the naked eye, are collected and washed clean but the smaller particles can only be separated from sand and dust by applying a special acid, says jeweller Arifullah Khan.
The acid dissolves everything, including other metals and iron, leaving only shimmers of gold behind.
In the Andershehr jewellery market, the market association says a contractor pays Rs20, 000 for the exclusive rights to sweep the area. Fazal Rooman, 14, who was searching for gold in the nearby gutter, said he earns Rs3-4,000 a week.
“I started this job when I was seven years old. I’m sure one day I’ll find my luck,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2011.
When the sun sets and shops close, gold scavengers come to life, sifting through dirt and sewers for precious yellow scraps they can turn to profit.
It is a painstaking, filthy job reserved for those dreaming of a rags-to-riches fortune.
Yet after nine years on the job and standing up to his waist in muddy water, 19-year-old Murad Ali keeps the dream alive.
“Hey, I got it,” he shouts, yanking out a hand clutching a small gold ring. Droplets of grime splash his face and clothes, but nothing can wipe the grin from his mouth or the glint of happiness in his eyes.
“This is a gold ring. It’ll fetch Rs2, 500,” he says, springing out of the filth to run it under clean tap water.
But pieces of jewellery dropped by careless owners are hard to come by. The usual job is going through the dirt and mud he stores in polythene bags searching, literally, for gold dust.
For the barely literate, the job brings in enough money to feed families and rent homes that would be hard to match in other menial jobs.
“I earn Rs6-7,000 in a week,” Ali says. “My father is a hashish addict. I’m taking care of my family.”
“This job depends on your luck and fortune. Sometimes I earn more. I once got a ring worth Rs10, 000,” he said.
There is no specific data about the number of workers, but local jewellers estimate that hundreds dig for gold in the northwest, where troops are fighting Taliban insurgents and bombings are routine.
Sifting for gold on the streets and in drains begins at dusk and can last until dawn. The dust and filth contain minute particles of gold discarded from goldsmiths who grind down the metal to make jewellery.
The job begins with cleaning the streets with brushes. Others scoop out filth from the drains. Pieces of gold, like Ali’s ring, detected by the naked eye, are collected and washed clean but the smaller particles can only be separated from sand and dust by applying a special acid, says jeweller Arifullah Khan.
The acid dissolves everything, including other metals and iron, leaving only shimmers of gold behind.
In the Andershehr jewellery market, the market association says a contractor pays Rs20, 000 for the exclusive rights to sweep the area. Fazal Rooman, 14, who was searching for gold in the nearby gutter, said he earns Rs3-4,000 a week.
“I started this job when I was seven years old. I’m sure one day I’ll find my luck,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2011.