Worth their salt
Labourers sort salt as they work on a salt pan at Thoothukudi some 160kms south of Madurai.
Made of steel
A farmer, uses a metal rake at the salt pan.
Thoothukudi comes only next to Gujarat in India's salt production. There are salt pans spread over 25,000 acres in places such as Vembar, Kulathoor, Tharuvaikulam, Muthiapuram, Mullakadu and Arumuganeri.
A day's work
Karupasamy empties a basket of salt at the salt pan. Here, labourers earn an average of Rs 290 per day.
Main challenges
Most of the times, coal dust, which is carried by the winds from thermal power plants in Thoothukudi pollutes the salt.
Hard haul
About 25 lakh tonnes of salt is produced per annum in Thoothukudi. As many as 30,000 workers find employment in these salt pans.
Salt production
In the salt pan method of production, sea water is pumped into the salt pans and then allowed to evaporate.
10 months of work
The production begins in the month of January and goes on till October when the north eastern monsoon sets in, forcing producers to abandon production.
How things pan out here
Farmer carries a basket of salt to the sorting centre.
Heavy winds sweeping the salt pan region leads to faster evaporation, leading to a spike in production.
Labourers sort salt as they work on a salt pan at Thoothukudi some 160kms south of Madurai.
Made of steel
A farmer, uses a metal rake at the salt pan.
Thoothukudi comes only next to Gujarat in India's salt production. There are salt pans spread over 25,000 acres in places such as Vembar, Kulathoor, Tharuvaikulam, Muthiapuram, Mullakadu and Arumuganeri.
A day's work
Karupasamy empties a basket of salt at the salt pan. Here, labourers earn an average of Rs 290 per day.
Main challenges
Most of the times, coal dust, which is carried by the winds from thermal power plants in Thoothukudi pollutes the salt.
Hard haul
About 25 lakh tonnes of salt is produced per annum in Thoothukudi. As many as 30,000 workers find employment in these salt pans.
Salt production
In the salt pan method of production, sea water is pumped into the salt pans and then allowed to evaporate.
10 months of work
The production begins in the month of January and goes on till October when the north eastern monsoon sets in, forcing producers to abandon production.
How things pan out here
Farmer carries a basket of salt to the sorting centre.
Heavy winds sweeping the salt pan region leads to faster evaporation, leading to a spike in production.