Upendra Lamichhane

Faced with a workforce deficit due to the growing number of youths leaving the country for greener pastures, brick kilns in Kathmandu Valley have started using donkeys to carry the raw mud bricks. 

Asaraf Kajagar, who is from Nepalganj and has brought 20 donkeys to a brick kiln in Tikathali VDC, Lalitpur, said that these beasts of burden fill the demand for kiln workers as the youths in his village prefer going abroad to working in kilns. 

“Earlier, kiln workers used to be mostly youths. Now, as they are going abroad for better opportunities, donkeys are employed in their place,” said Kajagar. Kiln owners say it is easier to run the kiln with the use of donkey to carry the mud bricks. 

“The work is going smoothly as the donkeys do not strike demanding pay rises and other benefits,” said Sanam Awale of the brick kiln in Tikathali wryly, adding that he had faced frequent strikes and pestering demands by kiln workers in the past. 

Awale also informed that a donkey carries 3,000 to 5,000 bricks a day to the furnace. The wage for the donkey is Rs 225 for carrying 1,000 bricks, the same as for a laborer. 

Nevertheless, Asaraf said that the cost of feeding the donkeys is relatively higher. The 20 donkeys at his kiln need around 7 kg of maize and 2 sacks of rice husk every day. 

“Moreover, the animals need one day´s rest every week,” he said adding that their daily feeding expenses come to around Rs 2,000. 

“Half of the earnings are to be spent on the fodder and the rest is profit,” Asaraf said. He had bought the donkeys in the Nepalganj area for Rs 10,000 to 20,000 each. 

Similarly, Sonu Kajagar, a petty contractor who used to supply labors to the brick kiln, has brought 12 donkeys to the kiln in view of the diminishing number of kiln workers.

He said employing donkeys is easier than employing laborers. “However, we do not overwork the donkeys,” Asaraf added. 

He further informed that he had leant from an animal rights organization in the Valley how to treat the animals and how long they should be put to work.

According to a recent survey conducted by Animal Nepal, an NGO working for animal rights and running a rehabilitation center, 1,200 animals like donkeys, horses and mules are working at 28 brick kilns in the Valley. The survey has found that most of draft animals working at the brick kilns are underfed, overworked and exposed to serious hazard in the course of the work. 

Animal Nepal has been providing free treatment and sanctuary for ill and unable draft animals left to die after they become useless for their owners. 
Its animal sanctuary has been advocating a day´s leave every week for the draft animals. According to Kul Bahadur Maharjan, secretary of Lalitpur Brick Kilns Association, donkeys are used by around 30 percent of the 100 kilns in the Valley. 

Meanwhile, the situation of kiln laborers is not very different from that of draft animals. The laborers, who come to Kathmandu from different parts of the country, lack work-place safety and face low pay and health hazards. 

Raju BK, 21, a kiln laborer in Lalitpur from Oot-6 in Rolpa, is busy carrying the mud bricks. Raju, who is paid by the number of bricks he carries to the kiln, tries to carry a greater number at cost to his physical safety. He arrived at the kiln two months ago and said he would go to the Indian state of Himanchal Pradesh to work as an apple porter after completing his work at the kiln. 

“We Rolpali youths share the same fate-- carry bricks in Kathmandu in winter and work as apple porters in India in the rainy season,” he said, describing how youths in his district are forced to leave their homes as the corps they produced in their land barely keep the wolf from the door. 

Bijaya Gharti, 19, who is accompanying Raju to Kathmadu, said he had to leave school after grade 8 due to poverty and came here in search of work. 

Similarly, Shanti BK, 17, who is from Thwang in Rolpa, left her studies in grade 9 and came to the capital in search of work to support her siblings.

Bindu BC, who came from Rolpa along with her husband and children, said their life is not different from that of the donkeys working at the kiln. “We cannot make ends meet without carrying loads of bricks,” she said. Most of the kiln workers are from Rukum, Surkhet, Dang, Slayan and Rolpa districts.

Condition of animals at brick kilns deplorable 

Sudip Koirala, Program Manager
Godavari Donkey Sanctuary

What is the condition of draft animals used by brick kilns in the Kathmandu Valley?
It´s pathetic. Brick kiln owners still use draft animals like donkeys, mules and horses and they are made to work in a deplorable condition. 

Can you describe the condition a bit more?
In most brick kilns, draft animals are overworked. They are fed food pellets only in morning and evening. Almost immediately after eating in morning, animals are forced to carry loads. They do not get enough time to digest the food. They work until the evening. They are not given water in the day. Consequently, they end up suffering from dehydration. They are not protected from dust particles that enshroud brick kilns. As a result, they eventually suffer from sever pneumonia, lung infection and other health problems.

Has their condition been always like this? 
No. their condition was even worse in the past. Earlier, brick kiln owners were not bothered at all about the condition of draft animals. They used to abandon sick and injured animals and left them to die a slow death. We set up this sanctuary in 2009 and have been rescuing and treating abandoned animals. Nowadays, some brick kiln owners even call us if any of their animals falls sick or gets injured. However, a lot needs to be done to improve the condition of draft animals.

Why are brick kiln owners not concerned about their animals?
Most of them do not realize that they stand to get more benefits if they took proper care of their animals. If they are properly fed, treated and given enough time to rest, brick kiln owners can use them for more years. Most brick kiln owners are unaware of this simple fact. 

Can the government do anything about this?
Yes, of course. The government should introduce certain guidelines on such animals are used at brick kiln. Such guidelines should clearly outline the maximum hours and weight an animal carries. 

What do you do with the rescued animals?
We keep the animals in our sanctuary, which is run by Animal Nepal. We provide medical treatment to the ill and injured animals. We also feed them properly. After the rescued animals get healthy, they are handed over to those who want to take them. However, before handing over the rescued animals, we ensure that they do not end up living in the same worse condition.

 Published on: 6 March 2013 | Republica