Jharia, the Burning City

Jharia, India, 2009–2012 · 42 photographs

Life above underground coal fires in Jharia, India's largest mining area, where 400,000 people live on burning ground.

Ever since I was a child, I have heard that Eskimos have dozens of different words to describe subtle nuances of white. When I arrived in Jharia, I couldn’t help wondering the same thing about the inhabitants of the largest mining area in India. Could these people have developed a special vocabulary for all the nuances of black? Roughly 400,000 live in Jharia. The lunar-like soil hasn’t produced vegetation for a long time and won’t be doing so any time soon. But the main danger for local inhabitants does not come from the black dust that is permanently floating in their environment. The danger is deeper and it is developing under their feet in the heart of coal seams. Bad management of the mines has led to uncontrolled underground fires. Over more than a century, millions of tons of coal have burnt up. It is equivalent to a volcano growing under Jharia. Toxic gas vapours spread into the atmosphere, the ground is sinking and houses are starting to crack. Sometimes flames burst up by the roadside. The imminence of a human disaster is very real. The Indian government is aware of this but doesn’t seem to want to free up enough funds to relocate the population at risk.

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 2 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 3 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 4 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 5 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 6 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 7 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 8 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 9 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 10 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 11 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 12 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 13 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 14 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 15 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 16 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 17 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 18 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 19 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 20 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 21 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 22 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 23 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 24 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 25 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 26 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 27 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 28 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 29 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 30 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 31 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 32 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 33 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 34 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 35 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 36 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 37 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 38 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 39 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 40 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 41 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

Jharia, the Burning City, Jharia, India. Photograph 42 of 42 by Thomas Van Den Driessche

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