The labourers are paid around Rs 125 a day and many of them are not paid for weeks on end
Photograph by Chinky Shukla
Spread over 2,200 hectares of land in Mumbai’s suburbs, salt pans (flat expanses of grounds covered with salt and other minerals), surrounded by thick mangrove trees are the city’s last defence against ocean flooding as they act as natural buffers against ocean flooding and absorb the rush of water from the sea
Photograph by Chinky Shukla
Vitthal, seen in this picture, hails from a poor village in Maharashtra. Lack of employment opportunities in his hometown forced him to migrate to Mumbai
Photograph by Chinky Shukla
Each salt pan produces more than 500 tonnes of salt every year. But with land becoming dearer in Mumbai, the place occupied by these salt pans is being eyed by Mumbai’s real estate agents
Photograph by Chinky Shukla
Dhaniya, another young migrant worker from Bihar, is seen preparing lunch for his kinsmen
Photograph by Chinky Shukla
Due to high reflectivity of the salt piles, the labourers mostly work during early morning and late evening hours
Photograph by Chinky Shukla
The salt workers live in temporary dwellings, primarily made of bamboo and hay. There is shortage of drinking water, shelter, power supply and facilities like gumboots, sunglasses, tools and healthcare
Photograph by Chinky Shukla
The salt pans are a source of livelihood for more than 2,000 migrant labourers who come from different parts of the country
Photograph by Chinky Shukla
Vasiya, 57, is popular among his fellowmen for playing melodious tunes on his flute. He has been working in the pans for the past eleven years
