Burma: They lost their jobs in the coup and now survive by scavenging a polluted river.

Ma Yu descends on a makeshift raft to cross the waters contaminated river Rangoon to collect floating plastic, an activity that has become its medium subsistence after he lost his job after coup in Burma.

About a dozen people join her at dawn, all protected from the sun by hats and a paste they spread on their faces, known as “tanaka”.

garbage removal processing is his only source of income, as he To lose a job after the military coup in February 2021, the country plunged into chaos.

“I didn’t have a job on the mainland, I have to pay for the medical expenses of my children and husband,” Ma Yu, 36, told AFP.

“So she rented Styrofoam plates and went to the river with her neighbor. On the first day we succeeded collect plastic and banks for sale. We were very happy,” he recalled.

Economy Burma fell sharply after the overthrow of the civilian government. In total, one million people have lost their jobs since the military junta came to power. The International Labour Organization (ILO).

Ma Ngal began to travel the waters of Pazundaung as she could not earn a living as a vegetable and fish seller in the market. Her husband is unemployed.

“I didn’t tell my parents and my family that we had done this work,” said the 41-year-old. “But they found out and I had to tell them we were doing this for our family.”

On a good day, they can raise up to 30,000 kyat, or $10, but on most days they make around $3.

“Before we started working here, there was a lot of plastic, cans and bottles,” said Kyu Kyu Khin, 39, who used to work as a salesman. collect garbage on the streets of Rangoon.

corpses

“People don’t have any discipline about how to throw out the trash. It’s killing the fish, she protested.

Gatherers look at the tide calendar, which affects the movement of the tides. trash in the water. But the current can be dangerous for these unreliable boats, admits Ma Yu.

“Sometimes I think that if something happens to me and I’m alone, I won’t be able to do anything,” she admitted.

They usually appear on the surface. corpsesa reminder of the chaos that reigns in this city, which is the economic capital of a country where crime has risen since coupaccording to its residents.

“I don’t have the courage to look,” admitted Ma Yu. “This is not an easy job, but the most important thing is that my children do not starve,” she said.

Ma Ngal argues that there are moments of detente.

“People joke when they see how we work. They say: “Here comes the municipal brigade, they know how to clean up the river.”

AFP