In the western Indian state of Rajasthan, entire communities of women have been left widowed by silicosis, a fatal lung disease linked to the region’s expanding stone-mining industry.
Mine workers are exposed to silica dust, a mineral that is abundant in sandstone. When inhaled, it can settle into the lungs and cause irreversible damage. There is currently no known cure for silicosis.
Independent Urdu reports on the rise of so-called “widow’s villages” in Rajasthan, where many of the women are forced to work in the same mines that claimed their husbands’ lives in order to support their families. Some of them go on to develop silicosis themselves.
Between 2018 and January 2023, there were 31,869 confirmed cases of silicosis in Rajasthan, but experts estimate the figure to be much higher as many victims often go untested.
Although the state of Rajasthan launched a programme of financial assistance to silicosis patients and widows in 2019, some victims have told Independent Urdu that they have not yet received anything.
Translated by Tooba Khokhar, reviewed by Celine Assaf
