Alfaj Hossain is a stone collector living in Banglabazar, two and a half kilometers from Jaflong. He either walks or takes a boat ride from his home to work. Everyday he collects three boat fulls of stones and earn 150 taka ($ 2.17) per boat.

Uses of modern machinery like cranes have caused stones to become extinct in some places in Piyain. For this reason the stone collectors have to work hard. Every night with their boats they travel upstream to collect stones and dock it on the banks ready for supply.

Probad Das (age 67) and Priti Rani Das (age 39) are a couple working together as stone laborers. They are working here for four years. They have two daughters. They used to earn 400 taka ($ 5.79) per day before. But now each of them earns 150 taka ($ 2.17) per day. Some day they only get 80 taka ($ 1.15) for their work.

Babul (age 32), Faruk (age 35), Manik (age 29) and Joinal (age 31) are loading a truck with broken down stone chips. These are transported to the city, to be used at multistoried construction sites. They are also used for building roads and highways in different areas of Bangladesh.

Kalam Ali (age 26) has been working at a stone crushing machine for last four years. He knows there are many risks in stone crushing. He covers his face using his Gamchha (local weaved cloth), as an attempted safety measure from breathing in dust particles.

Stone collector Abu Bakkar bathing at the bank of the Piyain River after finishing his work.

Shapna (age 13) works as a stone collector. Sometime she does not work because of her childish pranks. She is not old enough for the work. Between working hours, she travels by her brother’s boat for fun.

Alya Begum, a stone crusher and mother of two children, could not go to work because of illness. But without her wages she does not have money to buy food and medicine. There is no sick leave in this stone industry.

Sufia Khatun (age 43) is working at a stone crusher machine, putting large stones into it. Sometimes she works through the night. This is hard work and she puts in as many hours as she can, without any “overtime” payment.

Stone collectors washing stones along the Piyain River in Jaflong, Sylhet, Bangladesh. More than 2000 men, women and children are engaged in the stone crushing industry along the river bank.

Every day workers come here with spades and carriers to dig the land and pulled out stones form the land.

During the winter season the Piyain River becomes dry. It divides Bangladesh and India in the border area.

Working for their living, Abbas Ali, Mohammad Shah Alam, Saifur Rahman, Liakot Ali are stone collectors here for about five years. They extract stone by pulling them from the Piyain River in Jaflong, Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Rajiv Das (age 42) is working at stone crusher machine. His job is to remove the byproduct of stone dust. He realizes that this work is hazardous, as one breathes the dust while working here. Many workers like Rajib Das doing the same duty.

Not only collecting stone, they engage themselves in social work as well. Here a stone laborer is building a mosque with bamboo and a bundle of corrugated tin, which is being donated by the laborers.

Trucks, the only means of transportation, working hand to hand with this industry for decades.

Dawn to dusk they collect, workers unloading stones on the bank of the river from a boat.

Utilization of modern machinery like cranes has taken over the use of primitive tools.

The Piyain River is the main feature and natural beauty of Jaflong which flows from India through Bangladesh. During the monsoon, the river currents wash down precious rocks and pebbles from India into Jaflong area.

Kobir Das (age 68) is a manual worker of stone. His village is in Dhirai. He has been working here for 10 years. He is a father of four sons and four daughters, but they do not take care of him. Therefore he still has to earn his own living. Earlier he used to earn 600 taka ($ 8.69) everyday. But now he earns 80 taka ($ 1.16) to 120 taka ($ 1.74) because there are many cranes being used. He fears losing his job in the coming years.

Uncontrolled stone-crushing at Jaflong, is posing a serious threat to the environment, public health, and agriculture. Experts apprehend that the arable lands at this area will lose productivity to a large extent and biodiversity will face severe threat in the near future if the government does not impose restriction on indiscriminate stone-crushing.

Not living in a normal condition. From their childhood they grow in between the stones and learn the hardship of life.

The Piyain River is dry during winter, where for decades uncontrolled and hazardous stone extraction is going on.

Many children are utilized in collecting stones. This boy is collecting stones and a bucket of stone chips which will pay him 5 taka ($ 0.071) at the end of the day.

Women labourers are engaged more because their labour is less expensive then men.

Rajia Begum (age 48), a hard working stone labourer. She is on her midday break, using the time to get some rest before she starts again.

Along the utilization of modern machinery the women labourers work as hard as men do in this industry.

Women from Hindu community grinding rice for making cakes on "Paus Shankranti" festival at the end of Bangle month "Paus". Hindu stone workers do not go to work on that day.

After finishing their work, some women laborers come back to their home at sunset.

Some labourers worked the whole night. Because they know as much as they work, they paid money for that.

Man and machine unite working day and night, to spin the life circle of the industry. Though there is light on the machines, there is no emotion. On the other hand there is emotion in the labourers but a constant darkness is taking over their life.