Stories
Ragpickers: How did environmental pollution become a source of livelihood, and of death?
Hundreds in the city of Baqubah are risking their bodies and health to collect garbage, and then sell it. The risks do not threaten them alone and extend to the rest of the population. Ragpickers are a source of illness and the proliferation of microorganisms that transmit disease. But how much it is worth protecting one’s health, when collecting garbage can provide what many people need to make it through the day?
