Mining “white gold” is considered the most dangerous and strenuous.
There are many dangerous jobs in the world such as: Digging coal, mining stone, cleaning high-rise buildings’ glass, taking snake venom, etc. for the brave and have high endurance.
There are many different reasons for a person to dare to risk his or her strength on some very dangerous job. It could be for a living, but it could also come from the desire to earn a large income.
One of the most dangerous and stressful jobs in the world that cannot be ignored is salt mining in Ethiopia – a country in Africa. They diligently spend their whole lives making a living. They trade sweat, tears, even their lives to exploit the mineral called “white gold”.
Salt miners in Ethiopia
The Danakil Depression , located in the Danakil Desert in Ethiopia, is considered the hottest place in the world. The Danakil Desert is part of the Afar Triangle. This place is about 100 lower than sea level, contains many red rocks, sulfur ore and salt mines.
It is in this depression that is inhabited by the Afar people. Here, salt is money because the economy depends on mining and salt trading activities. About 750 salt miners are allowed to work in the area. They mine salt with rudimentary tools such as hammers and axes.
The local economy here is relatively backward, mainly manual labor, few modern machines support. Without pneumatic drills or specialized equipment for miners, workers have to use rudimentary tools to break the salt out of the ground.
Contrary to the rich life of the mine owner, the hired workers are very poor. They work hard but their remuneration is cheap, not commensurate with their labor.
Moreover, they have to work in harsh weather conditions every day. The temperature hardly drops below 50-60 degrees Celsius, even in the early morning. Therefore, they often have to do it early, before the sun makes the temperature too hot. This is a tough job even in a more pleasant climate.
Not only that, salt mining is also a very dangerous job. Due to the particularly dangerous terrain, the workers had to climb over the mountains and ravines in the process of transporting salt. Every day, workers have to walk about 2 hours to reach the salt lakes. Traveling in hot weather is not easy.
Due to limited economic conditions, the workers also do not have any professional protective tools. They can only use the bags to prevent salt from entering the nasal cavity. Their eyes are often red because of salt damage. This results in a marked decrease in vision after only a short period of time.
Their skin was eroded by the sticky white salt.
In Africa, clean water is an extremely scarce and precious thing . Therefore, salt miners cannot take a bath to clean themselves after a day of work. This causes their dark skin to gradually turn white due to the adhesion and corrosion of salt.
After working at the salt lake for about 3 years, most of the workers’ ears and eyes showed abnormal signs. Many people also lose the ability to hear and see. Their skin is itchy, sore, causing many skin wounds, easily leading to infection .
Although salt mining is dangerous to life, many people still cling to the job for a living.