 Jawaja leather workers are concerned about polluting their water Given the social and economic circumstances
Given the social and economic circumstances of the Jawaja leather
supply with sodium sulfide
 Jawaja leather workers are part of the Dalit (Untouchables) caste
 Sodium sulfide is a toxic chemical that can cause death by ingestion
 Sodium sulfide is used by the leather workers
in the de-hairing stage of leather processing
(Fig.1)
 The used de-hairing solution is dumped onto open fields without
treatment
Figure 1: Leather hides in de-hairing stage
Photo courtesy of Joanne Nakonechny
The Indian caste system consists of 4 castes and the outcaste (Fig. 2)
 The outcaste is known by numerous names: Dalit, Harijin,
Untouchable, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes
 Dalits have been subject to severe discrimination by people of other
castes
 The only jobs that a Dalit can have are the undesirable and filthy jobs
Caste Name Description
Brahmins Priests and Teachers
Ksatriyas Warriors and Rulers
Vaisyas Farmers, Merchants, Artisans
Sudras Labourers
Dalit Polluted Labourers
Figure 2: Indian Caste System
Manu is a 40 year old female Dalit who is a manual scavenger
(Bhangi). The following is Manju’s account of her daily routine taken
from a report by Human Rights Watch [1].
In the morning I work from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. cleaning the dry
latrines. I collect the feces and carry it on my head to the river half a
kilometer away seven to ten times a day. In the afternoon I clean the
gutters. Another Bhangi collects the rubbish from the gutters and
places it outside.  Then I come and pick it up and take it one
kilometer away. My husband died ten years ago since then I have
been doing this. Today I earn Rs. 30 a day (US$0.75).  Nine years ago
I earned Rs. 16 (US$0.40), then Rs. 22 (US$0.55), and for the last
two years it has been Rs. 30. But the payments are uncertain. For
the last two months we have not received anything. Every two
months they pay, but there is no certainty. We are paid by the Nagar
Palika municipality chief officer.
 Located in the north-western state Rajasthan, Jawaja Block is nestled in
workers, there was a shift in the context of problem and hence the
between the Thar Desert and the Aravalli Range
solution.
 The Indian government has declared the area to be an area of high
Most of the suggestions made in the proposal were discarded.
poverty with no resources
Alternate chemicals as a replacement can be considered for changing
the liming process.
Alternate chemicals are conveniently available and at a similar price.
The team assumed that new chemicals will be available at the same
chemical store.
ALTERNATIVES
Oxidative dehairing agent like sodium perborate [3].
Alkaline hydrogen peroxide and potassium cyanate [4].
Calcium peroxide which rapidly dehairs cattle hides with efficiency
similar to that of sodium sulfide [5].
These alternatives are environmentally friendly and do not produce toxic
sulfide gas if accidentally exposed to any acid.
Map of north-western India
Image courtesy of Google Maps
Compliment activation
 In 1975, Professor Ravi J. Matthai initiated an experiment to teach the
people of Jawaja to be self-reliant
 Ravi believed that “sustained development” is feasible only if it is based on
people learning to be self-reliant by learning to generate their own
opportunities and resources [2]
 Ashoke Chatterjee, part of the Jawaja Experiment, noted in an interview
in 1997 that in the twenty years since the experiment started, the people of
Jawaja have gone from being thrown out on sight at the Taj Hotel in
Bombay to having an international buyer selling their crafts for almost
fifteen years
 The Jawaja Experiment was successful in helping the people of Jawaja to
gain a little bit of economic independence Photos showing different phases of work during leather crafting
Photo courtesy of Maiwa Handprints Ltd. 2010
̒
 The chemicals used in the tanning process are of strong concentrations
and consuming contaminated water could seriously affect the health of the
local people.
It would be impossible for them to invest in a clean and environmentally
friendly disposal system.
The limited quantity of water available also restricts the Jawaja leather
workers from diluting the effluent before dumping it on the ground.
 Recommended use of alternative non-toxic chemicals, which can turn
this small leather industry into a suitable one without sacrificing the
environment.
A group photo of the leather workers of Jawaja
Photo courtesy of Joanne Nakonechny
1. Human Rights Watch (2008). Broken People. Retrieved from
http://www.hrw.org/en/node/24485/section/10
2. Ranjit Gupta (1988). Sustained Development through People: Insights from an
Experiment.
Retrieved from http://www.vikalpa.com/pdf/articles/1988/1988_jan_mar_3_16.pdf
3. Marmer W. N. and Dudley R. L. (2005). Oxidative Dehairing by Sodium Percarbonate.
Journal of the American Leather Chemists Association, 100(11), 427-431.
4. Marmer W. N. and Dudley R. L. (2005). Rapid Oxidative Dehairing Using Alkaline
Hydrogen Peroxide and Potassium Cyanate: Reuse of the Dehairing Reagents. Journal of
the American Leather Chemists Association, 100(5), 165-173.
5. Gehring A.G, Bailey D.G, Dimaio G.F, Dudley R.L, Marmer W.N, and Mazenko C.E.
(2003). Rapid Oxidative Unhairing with Alkaline Calcium Peroxide. Journal of the
American Leather Chemists Association, 98(6), 216-223.