Gender inequality and environmental risks in Panchagarh’s stone quarries | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • Subscribe
    • Get the Paper
    • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Thursday
July 24, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • Subscribe
    • Get the Paper
    • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2025
Gender inequality and environmental risks in Panchagarh’s stone quarries

Thoughts

Sanzida Alam Lisa, Nayma Akther Jahan & Dr Shahana Afrose Chowdhury
24 October, 2024, 05:40 pm
Last modified: 27 October, 2024, 01:08 pm

Related News

  • No room for gender discrimination in new Bangladesh: Adviser Asif Mahmud
  • Speakers call for safer workplaces, gender justice for women in RMG sector
  • UN envoy urges world court to prosecute Afghan gender discrimination
  • We must recognise urgent need to advance gender equality: UNFPA representative in Bangladesh
  • 'You get what you deserve': The minds behind gender-based violence

Gender inequality and environmental risks in Panchagarh’s stone quarries

Both men and women are involved in stone quarrying in Panchagarh, but their roles and wages differ significantly

Sanzida Alam Lisa, Nayma Akther Jahan & Dr Shahana Afrose Chowdhury
24 October, 2024, 05:40 pm
Last modified: 27 October, 2024, 01:08 pm
Both men and women are involved in stone quarrying in Panchagarh, but their roles and wages differ significantly. Photo: TBS
Both men and women are involved in stone quarrying in Panchagarh, but their roles and wages differ significantly. Photo: TBS

In the northernmost district of Panchagarh, stone quarrying from the Mahananda and Dahuk river long served as a cornerstone of the local economy, offering a crucial source of livelihood for many, particularly women. 

According to the reports of The  Business Standard from 2022, stone lifting primarily from the Mahanada river and other parts of the area provides livelihood for 40,000 people in Panchagarh.

Furthermore, around 200 trucks filled with stones worth Tk2 crore are delivered from this northern part of Bangladesh to the rest of the country. 

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

Even though the works related to stone, i.e., stone quarrying and stone lifting, have been providing steady income sources to families that are driven by extreme poverty and inequalities, this economic boon comes at a significant long-term environmental cost.

Stone quarrying poses threats to the landscape of Panchagarh in terms of environmental degradation, riverbank erosion, soil erosion, depletion of natural resources, disruption of local ecosystems— making the area prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. 

Research indicates that large-scale stone collection can lead to unnaturally high concentrations of some chemical elements, such as arsenic and sulphuric acid, over a significantly large area of surface or subsurface. This disruption of natural systems significantly affects water quality and quantity, especially in rivers and other water bodies. 

Additionally, the extraction process adversely impacts soil fertility, as the removal of topsoil makes land unsuitable for agricultural use. Moreover, communities near mining sites experience considerable noise pollution due to heavy machinery and blasting operations, which can negatively affect their quality of life.

However, this environmental impact is just one side of the story. Stone quarrying and lifting are labour-intensive operations that demand hard physical work, often under harsh conditions.

Gender discrimination is prevalent in this workplace, with women workers typically remaining underpaid compared to their male counterparts despite equal contribution.

During our recent visit to Panchagarh for one of our Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD), ULAB's project work, we got the opportunity to speak to a few of the workers involved to get an overview of the work dynamic and labour-intensive process behind the stone extraction and the challenges these workers face every day. 

Both men and women are involved in stone quarrying in Panchagarh, but their roles and wages differ significantly. The process begins with groups of men collecting stones from the rivers. These stones, often large and mixed with silt and soil, are washed clean before being handled. 

Once cleaned, the stones are carried by workers and placed in machines that break them down into various sizes— typically large, semi-large, and small. After the stones are crushed, they are again carried by workers and loaded into trucks for transport to Dhaka and other parts of the country, where further sorting and processing occurs.

While both men and women participate in the work, their roles follow traditional gender lines. Men usually handle the physically demanding task like excavating stones from the rivers. 

On the other hand, women are responsible for carrying the stones, feeding them into machines, and loading them into trucks— a task that is no less labour-intensive but typically less recognised.

Despite the effort required, women are often paid less for their work. 

There are no fixed working hours or wages in this work. Generally, workers toil from early morning until evening. Men who collect stones from the rivers earn around Tk700-800 per day, while women and other workers who carry and sort the stones receive approximately Tk400-500 per day.

These jobs are precarious, with no formal contracts or job security. Workers can be dismissed at any time or moment without any notice. 

One female worker shared her thoughts on the challenges she faces, "Every day, I lift stones heavier than you can imagine. It feels like the weight could break me sometimes. On certain days, my fingers feel numb. Even then, I wake up every day knowing my body will ache, knowing I will carry more than I can, but it's either that or going hungry."

Meanwhile, another female worker expressed her frustration about the uncertainty of their job, "If our Malik (the boss) wishes, he can fire me from work any time. It's tough not knowing where you stand, especially when you're giving your all and everything depends on it."

Despite a government ban on stone quarrying in Panchagarh, the region's poverty encourages many to engage in the illegal practice. Hundreds of families depend on meagre wages from stone quarrying, even though the work is harmful to the environment, offers insufficient pay, and exposes labourers to serious health risks. 

The need for alternative livelihoods is urgent, as it's necessary to raise awareness and empower local communities to understand the long-term consequences of their actions on the environment.

Addressing this issue requires a bottom-up approach, as top-down solutions, instructions, and actions from the higher authorities alone are unlikely to bring sustainable change or effectively address the root causes of the crisis. 


Sanzida Alam Lisa is a Research Assistant at the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) and an Early Career Researcher at V2V Global Partnership.  Nayma Akther Jahan is a Lecturer and Research Associate at the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). Dr Shahana Afrose Chowdhury is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). 


Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard

Gender Discrimination

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Hasina and Taposh in an event in 2020. Photo: Collected
    Al Jazeera investigation: Hasina, in call with Taposh, talks using helicopter to shoot, crush protesters in July uprising
  • He was produced before the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court at around 7:45pm today (24 July). Photo: TBS
    Ex-CJ Khairul sent to jail over July Uprising murder case
  • Representational image. Photo: Collected
    Tariff issue: Bangladesh, US set for crucial virtual meeting on 29 July - not tommorow

MOST VIEWED

  • Photo: Collected
    Bangladeshi man jailed for life in UK for murdering wife in front of their baby
  • Ctg port authority halts contractor recruitment for Kamalapur ICD operations for two months
    Ctg port authority halts contractor recruitment for Kamalapur ICD operations for two months
  • Fire at Cosmo School in Mirpur on 23 July 2025. Photo: TBS
    Fire breaks out at Cosmo School in Mirpur following generator explosion
  • Representational image. File Photo: Rajib Dhar/TBS
    Debate arises as edu adviser says postponed HSC exams of 22 and 24 July will be held on same day
  • BB issues dress code for all, discourages short-sleeved or length dresses, leggings for female staff
    BB issues dress code for all, discourages short-sleeved or length dresses, leggings for female staff
  • Infographics: TBS
    Stay orders won’t shield defaulters: BB governor 

Related News

  • No room for gender discrimination in new Bangladesh: Adviser Asif Mahmud
  • Speakers call for safer workplaces, gender justice for women in RMG sector
  • UN envoy urges world court to prosecute Afghan gender discrimination
  • We must recognise urgent need to advance gender equality: UNFPA representative in Bangladesh
  • 'You get what you deserve': The minds behind gender-based violence

Features

Photo: Collected

24 July: More than 1400 arrested, 3 missing coordinators found

20h | Panorama
Photo: Mehedi Hasan/TBS

Aggrieved nation left with questions as citizens rally to help at burn institute

2d | Panorama
Photo: Mehedi Hasan/TBS

Mourning turns into outrage as Milestone students seek truth and justice

1d | Panorama
Illustration: TBS

Uttara, Jatrabari, Savar and more: The killing fields that ran red with July martyrs’ blood

2d | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

AI is uncovering the lost history of ancient Rome

AI is uncovering the lost history of ancient Rome

1h | Others
Jamaat Ameer's statement misleading: Chatra Dal general secretary

Jamaat Ameer's statement misleading: Chatra Dal general secretary

2h | TBS Today
Dollar gets upward push as BB buys $10m more in auction at even higher rate

Dollar gets upward push as BB buys $10m more in auction at even higher rate

3h | TBS Insight
Why is Korniya called the Jamdani Sari girl?

Why is Korniya called the Jamdani Sari girl?

2h | TBS Programs
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net