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16
Opinion&Analysis
Theself-madeApachesofKyrgyzstan,MagdalenaBorowiec
throughoutthismine,whichislocatedintheOshoblast.Teshallowercorridors
arelocated15metresdown,andthedeeperonesareasdeepas60metres.Te
minersuseunsophisticatedandmedievaltools:pickaxes,crowbarsandspades.
Teminesaremadeupofsubstandardstructureswithlowceilingsandalackof
properventilation.TeminerscanmakethreeUSdollarsforevery70-kilogramme
sackofcoal,whichisusuallyabouttendollarsaday.Telabyrinthofcorridorscan
holdbetweenthreetofiveminers.Teminersworkundergroundfortenhours
perdaywithoutabreak.Afoilpipeorarevampedoldhooverpipeistheonly
sourceoffreshair.
Telackofventilationisoneofthemostcommonreasonsforcontamination
andcarbonmonoxidepoisoning.Inthecaseofamethaneexplosionorthecollapse
ofapoorlysupportedceiling,thechancesofsurvivalareinfinitesimal.Deathasa
resultofelectrocutionalsohappensoccasionally.Extractionofthecoalispossible
thankstothelightcomingfromChineseheadlamps.Telocalscalltheself-made
minersuApaches”
,astheirfacesareconstantlycoveredinblackdust.Tecamp-
sites,surroundedbytheapocalypticlandscapeoftheausteremountains,crevices,
caravansandyurts,havebecomeaprovisionalhomeforhundredsofmenand
womenwhomovedtothesouthofthecountryinsearchofworkandabetterlife.
Kyrgyzstan,acountrythathasbeenimmersedinpoliticalchaosforthepast
years,isoneofthepoorestplacesintheworld.Itońersfewopportunitiestoits
inhabitants.Formanyintheregion,coalistheonlyhopeforsurvival.Butnewin-
vestmentsareneededinordertoimprovethequalityofworkandlife.TeKyr-
gyzstanigovernment,however,doesverylittletoaddresstheseproblems.
TranslatedbyAgnieszkaPikulicka-Wilczewska
MagdalenaBorowiecisaPolishsociologistandphotographer.Herworks
appearedinanumberofinternationalpublications,includingCalvertJournal,
DOC!Photomagazine,Dodhoandfoto8.comandothers.
