The Detrimental Health Effects of Labor-Intensive Salt Making on Women of Nuniya Community of Gujarat

Abstract

India is the third-largest producer of salt in the world, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra are the top five salt-producing states in India, in which Gujarat alone contributes 76% of India’s total salt production. The Nuniya community of Gujarat is known for their expertise in salt production. Despite the worst weather, the Nuniya community performs rigorous labour. They include the labour of all family members in the salt-producing process, even the children. Men of the community migrate to towns for better work opportunities, women work in the frontline, and with the harsh climatic conditions they fall sick, especially when their hands and feet harden from the intense labour in the salt field, even after death, they do not burn on the funeral pyre. In this context, the current paper illuminates the numerous vectors of dispossession that Gujarat’s Nuniya tribes face, and also aims to draw attention to the gendered effects and resource depletion that the Nuniya tribes are experiencing. The current article addresses the Nuniya community’s labour issues and the historical implications for their degraded condition. Also, it examines gender dynamics, women’s labour involvement, and socioeconomic conditions through historical and current aspects.