After nine years on the job and standing up to his waist in muddy water, 19-year-old Murad Ali keeps the dream alive. "Hey, I got it. This is a gold ring. It will fetch 2,500 rupees (29 US dollars)," he says, springing out of the filth to run it under clean tap water.

"I earn 6-7,000 rupees in a week," Ali says. "My father is a hashish addict. I'm taking care of my family." Ali grew up in the Shah Dhand suburb of Peshawar. He left school at nine and started working a year later. He got married at 17 and is now the father of a son, living in a rented home that costs 3,000 rupees a month.

"This job depends on your luck and fortune. Sometimes I earn more. I once got a ring worth 10,000 rupees," he says. The only precautions he takes are a good bath and some scent in a bid to get rid of the stench of nights spent up to his waist in filth. "A good soap, shampoo and a good perfume are now a compulsory part of my life," he jokes.

Pieces of jewelry dropped by careless owners are hard to come by but for the barely literate in Pakistan, the job brings in enough money to feed families and rent homes. Gold prices reached a record high of more than 1,600 US dollars an ounce in London this week, boosting incomes for the scavengers.

Pride, wealth and superiority

There is no specific data about the number of workers, but local jewelers estimate that hundreds dig for gold in the northwest, where troops are fighting homegrown Taliban insurgents and bombings are routine.

Jewelry, particularly gold, is a symbol of pride, wealth and superiority in Pakistan. It plays a central role at weddings and, therefore, is big business. For women, the gold they are given on their wedding day is often their only financial protection. There are hundreds of shops in the main jewelry market in old Peshawar. There are thousands more in the surrounding areas and adjacent streets.

Sifting for gold on the streets and in drains begins at dusk and can last until dawn. The dust and filth contain minute particles of gold discarded from goldsmiths who grind down the metal to make jewelry. The job begins with cleaning the streets with brushes. Others scoop out filth from the drains. Some work alone, more in groups.

'A real war zone'

Pieces of gold, like Ali's ring, detected by the naked eye, are collected and washed clean but the smaller particles can only be separated from sand and dust by applying a special acid. The acid dissolves everything, including other metals and iron, leaving only shimmers of gold behind.

Jeweler Arifullah Khan, who has owned a shop in the market for 45 years, says hundreds of people scavenged for gold in Peshawar while bomb attacks and power cuts squeezed mainstream trade. "We are living in a real war zone. Customers are frightened and afraid of visiting the bazaar. Business is being destroyed," says the 65-year-old.

Vehicles and pushcarts are banned from the market because of the fear of car bombs, which helps workers by reducing the level of muck left behind. "I'm earning a suitable amount of money. This business just feeds my family. There is no saving," said Javed Masih, the contractor, but he refused to divulge the exact amount he earns. Quite a few started working at a young age. They still believe one day they will find their luck.

AFP
Editor: Sachin Gaur