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  • A degraded and abandoned ghat (riverbank) on the most polluted stretch of the Ganges River is seen near the tannery area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Due to the extreme conditions of the river many of the once colourful and busty riverbanks of the Ganges have been deserted by many locals.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_36.JPG
  • A man is bathing in the polluted Ganges River in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, at dawn. Sustaining life for thousands of years along the Indo-Gangetic plains, the river's ecosystem is in grave danger of being damaged beyond repair.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_47.JPG
  • Koren, 5, is one of three children presenting a similar neurological disorder and living on the same road in Joana village, pop. 1800, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He is portrayed while in the arms of his father. The village is located onto a series of drains joining the Ganges River nearby and the community is entirely.reliant on the poisonous groundwater. Koren has serious cognitive limitations while his body's right side is affected by a semi-paralysis and muscular defection. His family cannot afford even a rudimental medication.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_44.JPG
  • Children are playing on the banks of a large drain flowing on the side of Joana, pop. 1800, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a poor agricultural village affected by the untreated water discharged regularly in the Ganges River from the large industrial area located nearby.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_42.JPG
  • A young girl from Joana, pop. 1800, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is standing in front of her house. The inhabitants of the village are affected by the wastewater originated from the nearby Jajmau Industrial Area, the largest leather producing hub in India, discharging directly into the holy Ganges River.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_40.JPG
  • A child with a neurological disorder (2nd from left) is portrayed with his underprivileged family inside their rudimental home in Joana, pop. 1800, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a poor agricultural village affected by the tanneries' untreated water discharge in the Ganges River.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_35.JPG
  • A young boy is using his bare hands to collect leather scraps a few meters away from the banks of the Holy Ganges River, in one of the illegal dumping and burning grounds surrounding the area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The scrap leather is destined to be boiled and reduced to a thin dust: the raw material for fertilisers and chicken food production.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_30.JPG
  • Young workers are feeding a series of large boilers in an illegal dumping and burning ground located on the banks of the holy Ganges River near the tannery area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. The scrap leather is destined to be boiled and reduced to a thin dust: the raw material for fertilisers and chicken food production.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_29.JPG
  • Two boys are feeding a large boiler in an illegal dumping and burning ground located on the banks of the Holy Ganges River near the tannery area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The scrap leather is destined to be boiled and reduced to a thin dust: the raw material for fertilisers and chicken food production.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_25.JPG
  • Hindu devotees are about to bath in the holy Ganges River, while an elephant and his handler are saluting the rising sun during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_21.JPG
  • A Hindu devotee is drying her sari after having bathed in the holy Ganges River during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_17.JPG
  • A boy is standing, hands on his head, among a crowd of Hindu devotees near a bathing ghat (riverside) on the holy Ganges River during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_12.JPG
  • Hindu devotees are walking on the long bridge crossing the Holy Ganges River, during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_01.JPG
  • Hash, a common by-product of paper mills is photographed on the side of a wheat field in the village of Saini, pop. 4000, Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, home to a large paper manufacture. The industry also discharges untreated wastewaters back into the Kali river (East), a tributary of the larger Ganges river, from which farmers collect water for irrigation purposes, thus allowing heavy metals and pesticides to enter the entire food chain.
    Slow_Poison_38.JPG
  • Six boys are sitting on the banks of the polluted Ganges River in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, near the tannery area of Jajmau. Sustaining life for thousands of years along the Indo-Gangetic plains, the river's ecosystem is in grave danger of being damaged beyond repair.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_46.JPG
  • Shukaran Nishad, 10, is one of three children presenting a similar neurological disorder and living on the same road in Joana village, pop. 1800, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He is portrayed while sitting in front of his father's little local shop. The village is located onto a series of drains joining the Ganges River nearby and the community is entirely reliant on the poisonous groundwater. Shukaran has serious cognitive and motorial limitations. His family cannot afford even a rudimental medication.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_45.JPG
  • Agricultural labourers are collecting water devoted to irrigation from pools forming on the side of the polluted Ganges River in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, near Jajmao Industrial Area. Sustaining life for thousands of years along the Indo-Gangetic plains, the river's ecosystem is in grave danger of being damaged beyond repair while crops absorb the contaminants from the water and pass it on to those consuming the vegetables grown in this area.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_43.JPG
  • A small section of the slum located on the banks of the Ganges river within the tannery area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is seen from a hilltop surrounding the area.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_39.JPG
  • Two children are walking near the banks of the polluted Ganges River in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, near Jajmao Industrial Area. Sustaining life for thousands of years along the Indo-Gangetic plains, the river's ecosystem is in grave danger of being damaged beyond repair.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_34.JPG
  • The polluted Ganges River in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is seen at dawn from its banks, bordering the large tannery area of Jajmao. Sustaining life for thousands of years along the Indo-Gangetic plains, the river's ecosystem is in grave danger of being damaged beyond repair.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_33.JPG
  • A large drain is pouring municipal and industrial waste into the Ganges River near Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Many drains are scattered around the area and discharge contaminated wastewater into the nearby river tainting underground reservoirs and endangering the fresh water supply of local people.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_32.JPG
  • Workers at one of the illegal dumping and burning grounds on the outskirts of Jajmau, near the Ganges River, are portrayed while taking a break on a pile of scrap leather destined to be boiled and reduced to a thin dust: the first process to fertilisers and chicken food, in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_31.JPG
  • A young boy is walking on the hilltop surrounding the tannery area of Jajmau,<br />
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, located on the most polluted stretch of the mighty Ganges River.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_01.JPG
  • An elephant is being washed by its owners on a ghat (riverside) of the holy Ganges River during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_16.JPG
  • After bathing and religious rituals, a Hindu mother and her daughter are walking out of the holy Ganges River during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_15.JPG
  • Hindu devotees are walking through a makeshift market near a bathing ghat (riverside) on the holy Ganges River during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_14.JPG
  • A father with his daughter on his shoulder are walking through a crowd of Hindu devotees near a bathing ghat (riverside) on the holy Ganges River during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_13.JPG
  • Hindu devotees are crossing a shallow section of the holy Ganges River during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_11.JPG
  • Hindu devotees are about to bath in the holy Ganges River, while a boatman await for customers during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_07.JPG
  • After bathing, Hindu devotees are taking a break on a ghat (riverside) along the holy Ganges River during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_02.JPG
  • Young girls from the village of Beghrajpur, Muzaffarnagar District, Uttar Pradesh, India, are collecting grass for their family's buffaloes from the banks of a large drain originating from the Beghrajpur Industrial Complex, mainly composed of chemical factories, a few hundred meters upstream, on Sunday, Mar. 30, 2008. The white drain, completely covered in foam, will reach the Kali river (East) in Usampur Bhopara village. At the end of its journey, the watercourse will eventually join the largest Ganges river injecting a deadly dose of pollutants into its Holy waters.
    Slow_Poison_24.JPG
  • A child is using his bare hands to collect leather scraps a few meters away from the banks of the Holy Ganges River, (visible in the background) in one of the illegal dumping and burning grounds surrounding the area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The scrap leather is destined to be boiled and reduced to a thin dust: the raw material for fertilisers and chicken food production.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_27.JPG
  • A young girl from the village of Beghrajpur, Muzaffarnagar District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is collecting grass for her family's buffaloes from the banks of a large drain originating from the Beghrajpur Industrial Complex, mainly composed of chemical factories, a few hundred meters upstream, on Sunday, Mar. 30, 2008. The white drain, completely covered in foam, will reach the Kali river (East) in Usampur Bhopara village. At the end of its journey, the watercourse will eventually join the largest Ganges river injecting a deadly dose of pollutants into its Holy waters.
    Slow_Poison_46.JPG
  • A group of slum dwellers on the hills surrounding the tannery area of Jajmau are busy collecting fresh water being provided to the colony daily by the government in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The inhabitants are complaining that too little water is provided for the large population of the area, while in case of power cuts, a very common event in Kanpur, the pumping station can shut down completely for days at the time. Rows and arguments over water collection here are an unfortunate daily reality.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_41.JPG
  • A young woman is covering her eyes during a sandstorm, in the heavily polluted city of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, the largest leather production hub in India.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_38.JPG
  • Workers in one of the larger tanneries within the Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, are stockpiling pieces of leather while trimming impurities and scraps before proceeding to colouring and finishing.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_16.JPG
  • Workers in one of the large tanneries located in Jajmau area of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, are processing leather in chromium baths, or liming, while complying to little, if any, health and safety regulations.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_14.JPG
  • A young boy is removing contaminated water from a bath after the process of liming, the removal of hair and impurities with the use of water and various agents, in an illegal tannery unit inside Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Children are largely employed to work on scraps, or little pieces of skin, like the head and the ears of the animal, which will become a small bag, a wallet, or maybe a cheap phone leather case.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_10.JPG
  • Elephants traders are sitting next to their animals on sale during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_08.JPG
  • Sholo, a 12-year-old girl from the village of Bhanera Khemchand, pop. 2000, Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is portrayed in her house, on Wednesday, Mar. 26, 2008. Sholo developed a neurological disorder that have left her cognitive skills gravely affected at the age of 5. The doctor that has visited her at the time indicated contaminated water to be the cause of her illness. Her mother has to help Sholo everyday for all her basic needs.
    Slow_Poison_40.JPG
  • Residents of Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near the banks of the Kali river (East), Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, are showing the contaminated yellow-coloured water from one of the hand-pumps many residents use as the only source for drinking and washing, on Sunday, Mar. 16, 2008.
    Slow_Poison_25.JPG
  • A truck driver and his co-workers are waiting to deliver their load of sugarcane inside the Daurala Sugar Works industrial complex, near Daurala village, Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Monday, Apr. 14, 2008. Sugarcane-related manufactories, like sugar mills and distilleries rank between the 17 most polluting industries by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests and special conditions apply to the release of their wastewaters back into the environment. If Daurala Sugar Works, whose drain reaches the Kali river (East), have implemented a fairly efficient Effluent Treatment Plant, many in the sugarcane-rich area have not, and keep releasing contaminated water into nearby rivers. Even if levels of pollutants are believed to be largely reduced at the Complex, the Kali river (East) cannot absorb any more amount of wastewaters and its situation remains critically unhealthy... ..
    Slow_Poison_15.JPG
  • An elder villager is attacking Pardip, a 12-year-old boy from Simlana village, pop.4000, Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, for no apparent reason, on Saturday, Mar. 29, 2008. Pardip developed a neurological disorder due to the long-term effects of consuming contaminated water at the age of two. Him and his family still use the 40 ft deep hand-pump located in their courtyard which provides water with large quantities of heavy metals and pesticides leaked through the ground from the nearby drains and the severely polluted Hindon river.
    Slow_Poison_21.JPG
  • Doli, 5, (middle) from the village of Barnawa, pop.6000, Baghpat District, Uttar Pradesh, India, located along the banks of the severely polluted Hindon river, is shaking in the arms of her father, on Wednesday, Apr. 2, 2008. Doli is affected by a neurological disorder since birth. Doctors believe her condition to be associated to water contaminated with alarming levels of pesticides and heavy metals the family is drinking on an everyday basis. Her skull is underdeveloped and she has serious cognitive limitations that have left her unable to frequent school or carry on any sort of educational activity. The family is now using a nearby governmental hand-pump that provides better quality water in comparison to the 20ft deep private one they priory used.
    Slow_Poison_10.JPG
  • A group of slum dwellers on the hills surrounding the tannery area of Jajmau are busy collecting fresh water being provided to the colony daily by the government from 4 am to 7 am and again from 5 pm to 6 pm in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The inhabitants are complaining that too little water is provided for the large population of the area.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_37.JPG
  • Labourers are collecting and dividing the thin black dust obtained by boiling leather scraps in one of the many dumping and burning grounds near the tannery area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. This dust is the first process to fertilisers and chicken food.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_28.JPG
  • Two labourers having a meal of boiled potatoes before beginning their daily work in one of the illegal dumping and burning grounds surrounding the area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. After being bathed in chromium and other chemicals to remove hair and impurities in a process called liming, the skins are examined by hand and the useless parts are cut and sent to one of these fields where they are boiled and reduced to a thin black dust. The resulting dark powder will then be used as a fertiliser or for the first stage of poultry food production.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_26.JPG
  • A child is sewing parts of what will be leather articles, inside a medium-size manufacturing unit in Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_23.JPG
  • The owner of a small tannery in Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is showing the leather just painted in their unit. Arrived from somewhere else, painted by the two children I have witnessed working here, it will depart to reach other hands, and later become an item for sale. In Jajmau this is a daily reality and an intervention is needed to curb the practice.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_22.JPG
  • Two men are moving a heavy load of half-processed leather using a severed horse pulling a wooden cart to a new plant for further processing in Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Knowing whether children were employed in the process is the real challenge when outsourcing leather in Kanpur.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_21.JPG
  • A worker in one of the tannery units within the industrial area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is pulling a large piece of leather from a chromium bath, where the skin has had hair and impurities removed in a process called liming, to be dried outside the factory.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_17.JPG
  • A labourer is moving a heavy load of half-processed leather destined to reach a new unit to complete another step of the production chain. In Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanupu, Uttar Pradesh, the leather passes hand in hand many times before being ready for the final product manufacturing stage. This 'outsourcing effect' creates a considerable risk for local underprivileged children to become involved in hazardous activities and subjected to lifelong exploitation.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_15.JPG
  • An elder and a young boy are using their bare hands to collect skins from a bath of contaminated water during the process of liming, removing hair and impurities with the use of various agents, in an illegal tannery unit located within the industrial area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_12.JPG
  • A boy is removing contaminated water from a bath after the process of liming, the removal of hair and impurities with the use of water and various agents, in an illegal tannery unit inside Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Children are largely employed to work on scraps, or little pieces of skin, like the head and the ears of the animal, which will become a small bag, a wallet, or maybe a cheap phone leather case.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_09.JPG
  • A young boy is collecting skins from a bath during the process of liming, the removal of hair and impurities with the use of water and various agents, in an illegal tannery unit inside Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Children are largely employed to work on scraps, or little pieces of skin, like the head and the ears of the animal, which will become a small bag, a wallet, or maybe a cheap phone leather case.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_08.JPG
  • Two children are using their feet to find the remaining skins in a bath during the process of liming, the removal of hair and impurities with the use of water and various agents, in an illegal tannery unit inside Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Children are largely employed to work on scraps, or little pieces of skin, like the head and the ears of the animal, which will become a small bag, a wallet, or maybe a cheap phone leather case.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_06.JPG
  • Two young boys are collecting skins from a bath during the process of liming, the removal of hair and impurities with the use of water and various agents, in an illegal tannery unit inside Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Children are largely employed to work on scraps, or little pieces of skin, like the head and the ears of the animal, which will become a small bag, a wallet, or maybe a cheap phone leather case.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_04.JPG
  • A labourer is moving a heavy load of half-processed leather destined to reach a new unit to complete another step of the production chain in Kanpu, Uttar Pradesh. In Jajmau Industrial Area the leather passes hand in hand many times before being ready for manufacturing stage. This 'outsourcing effect' creates a considerable risk for local underprivileged children to become involved in hazardous activities and subjected to exploitation.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_03.JPG
  • A section of the slum growing along Jajmau Industrial Area in a maze of houses and tannery units is seen from the surrounding hilltop. A local boy is flying his kite, in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_02.JPG
  • A drunk Indian man is having an argument in front of a group of young women performing on stage at one of the regular night dance shows being set up during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_39.JPG
  • Two young women are standing backstage before performing at one of the regular night dance shows being set up during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_37.JPG
  • Next to her husband lying on a bed, a young woman (right) is getting dressed before performing at one of the regular night dance shows being set up during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_36.JPG
  • Men are queuing up  to enter one of the regular night dance shows set up during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_35.JPG
  • A small monkey, chained by the neck, is being exhibited during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_34.JPG
  • A young woman is applying makeup before performing at one of the regular night dance shows being set up during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_33.JPG
  • Young women are applying makeup before performing at one of the regular night dance shows being set up during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_29.JPG
  • Two young men are hugging while spending a day at the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_27.JPG
  • A crowd is observing a keen horseman inciting his stallion, during a race organised at the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_25.JPG
  • Hindu devotees are leaving the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_23.JPG
  • A crowd is looking at a horse race organised during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_19.JPG
  • A boy is selling Indian sweets while walking among horses exhibited and traded during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_18.JPG
  • Men are examining some of the horses exhibited and traded during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_10.JPG
  • Hindu devotees are leaving the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_09.JPG
  • A chained Saint Bernard dog in extremely poor health conditions is on sale during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_03.JPG
  • The blackened, contaminated waters of the Krishni river are photographed in the village of Chandenamal, pop. 1500, Muzaffarnagar District, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Friday, Apr. 4, 2008.
    Slow_Poison_01.JPG
  • Rakesh, 25, from the village of Chandenamal, pop. 1500, Muzaffarnagar District, Uttar Pradesh, India, located along the banks of the severely polluted Krishni river, is sitting on a bed in front of his house, on Saturday, Apr. 29, 2008. Rakesh has been diagnosed a neurological disorder since one and a half years; it has left his legs and left hand almost paralysed while his cognitive skills have been severely affected. He can now walk only with the help of metal crutches and cannot carry on any sort of work or activity. Doctors believe his condition to be associated to the water contaminated with alarming levels of pesticides and heavy metals the family is drinking on an everyday basis.
    Slow_Poison_28.JPG
  • A truck driver and his co-workers are preparing to deliver their load of sugarcane inside the Daurala Sugar Works industrial complex, near Daurala village, Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Monday, Apr. 14, 2008. Sugarcane-related manufactories, like sugar mills and distilleries rank between the 17 most polluting industries by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests and special conditions apply to the release of their wastewaters back into the environment. If Daurala Sugar Works, whose drain reaches the Kali river (East), have implemented a fairly efficient Effluent Treatment Plant, many in the sugarcane-rich area have not, and keep releasing contaminated water into nearby rivers. Even if levels of pollutants are believed to be largely reduced at the Complex, the Kali river (East) cannot absorb any more amount of wastewaters and its situation remains critically unhealthy.
    Slow_Poison_39.JPG
  • Workers are collecting sand to be used in construction works from the bed of the severely polluted Hindon river, near the village of Barnawa, pop. 6000, Baghpat District, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Wednesday, Apr. 2, 2008. A full cart will be sold for about 100 Rs (USD 2).
    Slow_Poison_45.JPG
  • Pardip, a 12-year-old boy from Simlana village, pop.4000, Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is leaning on a government-installed hand-pump, on Saturday, Mar. 29, 2008. Pardip developed a neurological disease due to the long-term effects of consuming contaminated water at the age of two. His family and him still regularly use the same 40 ft deep hand-pump located in their courtyard which provides water with large quantities of heavy metals and pesticides leaked through the ground from the nearby drains and the severely polluted Hindon river.
    Slow_Poison_44.JPG
  • A drain from a local paper mill is pouring wastewaters back into the surrounding environment by the banks of the Kali river (East) in Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Sunday, Mar. 16, 2008.
    Slow_Poison_42.JPG
  • Kapil, a 12-year-old girl from Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near the banks of the Kali river (East), Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is sitting on her bed during a hot spring afternoon, on Sunday, Mar. 16, 2008. Her family is affected by water contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides delivered by their private hand-pump as they cannot collect it from far 2-3 kilometres away on an everyday basis. Throughout her body and face a skin allergy is noticeable, and her family laments the same problem as well as regular stomach pain.
    Slow_Poison_41.JPG
  • Vishal, (right) a 12-year-old boy from Chandenamal village, pop. 1500, Muzaffarnagar District, Uttar Pradesh, India, located along the banks of the severely polluted Krishni river, is sitting on the floor of his classroom while being taught a math lesson, on Friday, Mar. 28, 2008. Vishal is affected by a neurological disease since the age of three, and while his mind is not fully developed, he also suffers of a partial paralysis of his body's left side. The doctor overseeing Vishal believes the cause of the disease to be strictly related to contaminated water consumption during his childhood.
    Slow_Poison_34.JPG
  • A young boy, walking the streets of Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near the banks of the Kali river (East), Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, stops to eat a candy near one of the contaminated water pools that regularly forms in the slum, on Monday, Mar. 17, 2008. Due to the heavy metal contamination of underground water sources, many of the residents are forced to walk 2-3 kilometres to reach a safer hand-pump, and those who are unable to do so, have to drink unsafe water which is the cause of many of the diseases affecting the local population.
    Slow_Poison_32.jpg
  • Nila Kashap, 40, from the village of Bhanera Khemchand, pop. 2000, Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is portrayed while resting on her bed, on Tuesday, Mar. 25, 2008. Nila started to be affected by a stomach cancer that has grown into her ovaries about one year ago and has since then incurred into 12000 Rs (USD 300) medical expenses to try and treat her disease. Doctors believe its cause to be the unsafe, yellow water she is drinking on an everyday basis from her family's private hand-pump, defined by them as being 'smelly' and 'distasteful'. Her husband, a local agricultural labourer earns as little as 50-60 Rs (USD 1) for a hard day of work in the fields and he faces regular expenses of more than 1500 Rs per month (USD 40) to try to mitigate the effects of his wife's illness. Their son, also working in the fields, is helping the family to face their dire economic situation.
    Slow_Poison_30.JPG
  • Children residing in Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near the banks of the Kali river (East), Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, are in line to receive water and other goods from a governmental agency that provides essentials to the poorest residents once a week, on Sunday, Mar. 16, 2008. Due to the heavy metal contamination of underground water sources many of the residents are forced to walk 2-3 kilometres to reach a safer hand-pump, and those who are unable to do so, have to drink unsafe water which is the cause of many of the diseases affecting the local population.
    Slow_Poison_29.jpg
  • Nusarat, (right) 7-year-old girl from the village of Barnawa, pop.6000, Baghpat District, Uttar Pradesh, India, located along the banks of the severely polluted Hindon river, is completing her homework while her brother, Sahanawaj, 9, is playing on a bed inside their house, on Thursday, Apr. 17, 2008. Both children cannot either speak or hear, while their younger brother, Sarik, 4, was born with a neurological disorder that have left him unable to walk and with minor cognitive skills. The family laments the water delivered from their hand-pump to be yellow at times and of a particular, different odour and taste.
    Slow_Poison_26.jpg
  • Women are collecting water contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides from a hand-pump on the streets of Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near the banks of the Kali river (East), Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Sunday, Mar. 16, 2008.
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  • Amnoor, a 5-year-old boy from Simlana village, pop.4000, Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is being washed by his father using contaminated water delivered by their private hand-pump, on Sunday, Mar. 30, 2008. Amnoor was diagnosed a nervous damage due to the long-term effects of consuming unsafe water at the age of three. Before that he even used to run and was very healthy. Now, his reality is a semi-paralysis to both his left arm and leg. The family, whose only breadwinner is Vinod, 35, an agricultural labour, had to incur in a Rs 30000 (USD 600) expense for Amnoor's first treatment at the PGA Hospital in Chandigarth, Punjab, and in more than Rs 1000 (USD 12) a month for the cost of his medicines. With an average daily wage of Rs 50-60 and two more children to provide for, Vinod is facing a dire economic situation.
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  • Farmers are delivering a load of sugarcane from their buffalo-cart inside the Daurala Sugar Works industrial complex, near Daurala village, Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Monday, Apr. 14, 2008. Sugarcane-related manufactories, like sugar mills and distilleries rank between the 17 most polluting industries by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests and special conditions apply to the release of their wastewaters back into the environment. If Daurala Sugar Works, whose drain reaches the Kali river (East), have implemented a fairly efficient Effluent Treatment Plant, many in the sugarcane-rich area have not, and keep releasing contaminated water into nearby rivers. Even if levels of pollutants are believed to be largely reduced at the Complex, the Kali river (East) cannot absorb any more amount of wastewaters and its situation remains critically unhealthy.
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  • An agricultural labourer is harvesting sugarcane in a field near the village of Barnawa, pop.6000, Baghpat District, Uttar Pradesh, India, located along the banks of the severely polluted Hindon river, on Friday, Apr. 18, 2008. Labourers earn as little as 50-60 Rs (USD 1) for a hard day of work in the fields.
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  • Women are walking on a road by the Khatauli Sugar Mill, (visible in the background) one of the biggest sugarcane mills in Asia, run by Triveni Engineering, located in the city of Khatauli, pop. 10000, Muzaffarnagar District, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Sunday, apr. 20, 2008.
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  • Children belonging to Furkhan's family, a 35-year-old agricultural labourer living in the village of Shamli, pop. 1500, Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, located dangerously near to Shamli Paper Mill, are throwing stones into the drain running right at their doorstep, on Friday, Apr. 18, 2008. Originating from the untreated wastewaters of Sikka and Maruti paper mills, another two large factories in the area, this drain is a serious hazard to the health of the people residing in the surrounding area as well as for the environment. Furkahn laments that their house was built long before the drain started to flow, and even though he complained various times to the government in both Muzaffarnagar and Meerut, two large cities near the district, there has not been any tangible improvement to the situation.
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  • Anuj, (right) 20, from the village of Bhanera Khemchand, pop. 2000, Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is photographed in his house while being washed by his mother, Leelaweta, 48, on Wednesday, Mar. 26th, 2008. Anuj developed a neurological disorder at the age of five and doctors believe it to be associated to water contaminated with alarming levels of pesticides and heavy metal the family is drinking on a everyday basis. Their hand-pump, at the shallow depth of 70ft, provides water they lament is regularly causing them allergies and stomach pain. Their house is located extremely near the Krishni river, joined by a large industrial drain a few hundred meters upstream that has been flowing unabated for more than 25 years. Only Leelaweta remembers how they used to bath and wash clothes into the clear waters of what was once considered the life-stream of the village.
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  • A boy living in Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near the banks of the Kali river (East), Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is playing near one of the contaminated water pools that regularly forms in the slum, on Sunday, Mar. 16, 2008. Due to the heavy metal presence within underground water sources, many of the residents are forced to walk 2-3 kilometres to reach a safer hand-pump, and those who are unable to do so, have to drink the polluted water which is the cause of many of the diseases affecting the local population.
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  • Rubina, 12, is helping her mother to separate some wheat grain from its chaffs in their home in the village of Barnawa, pop.6000, Baghpat District, Uttar Pradesh, India, located along the banks of the severely polluted Hindon river on Friday, Apr. 18, 2008. Rubina was born with a neurological disorder that have left her cognitive skills gravely affected. The family laments that their 80 ft deep private hand-pump is delivering yellow-coloured water that smells and tastes differently from fresh water, although they continue drinking it as they have no means of collecting safer water on a daily basis.
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  • A young agricultural labourer is harvesting wheat in a field near the village of Shamli, pop. 1500, Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, located dangerously near to Shamli Paper Mill, (visible in the background) a large industry discharging untreated wastewaters a few steps away from the field, on Friday, Apr. 18, 2008. Feru, 70, the owner of the field is forced to feed its crops water from the mill's drain. "We own this land since more than 200 years, while this factory was erected in 1981," he adds, "we filed many complains to the MP offices in both Meerut and Lucknow but nobody in the government listens to us. We are not important to them." He also laments that "the soil is becoming defective, and so are our crops whose yield is diminishing year after year."
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  • Sakib, 7, from the Patanpura Colony, Saharanphur District, is leading his buffalo out of the Dhamola river, a severely polluted small-size watercourse, in reality more similar to a drain, that joins the Hindon river a few kilometres downstream, on Friday, Apr. 18, 2008. Sakib regularly comes here with his family to wash their buffaloes and provide them water to drink, unaware of the consequences the contamination could have on himself and his animals.
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  • A man is moving a heavy load of half-processed leather on arrival from a different unit, to a new plant for further processing in Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Knowing whether children were employed in the process is the real challenge when outsourcing leather in Kanpur.
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  • Young men are drying fresh painted leather under the Sun in front of the tannery where they work in Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
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  • Three young men are working in a dark, dusty room where they smooth and cut leather in Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Labourers use almost no protection against the cancerogenic particles generated by this industrial process.
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