MINGORA: The unemployment has forced the poor local people to seek emerald from the debris of mine on the bank of Swat River for earning livelihood.

Hundreds of people can be seen sieving the debris, bought from the contractors at Swat emerald mine in Watkey, along the river. They say that the business of seeking emerald in the leftover debris is unpredictable as some day they find nothing and go home empty hands while some day they find precious emerald stones and earn thousands of rupees.

“I was mason by profession but did not have regular work so I started seeking emerald here at bypass road along the Swat River. Daily, I purchase debris worth Rs1,000 from the mine, bring it here and start sieving it slowly to find out small pieces of emeralds from the scrap rocks,” said Ahmad Ali, a resident of Malookabad.

He said that last week he found a big piece of emerald, which earned him Rs20,000.

People buy debris from a mine to sieve it for precious stones

Another man, who was sitting along the river bank, said that it was the business of hope and every morning he purchased the debris from the mine and came to the river hoping fortune but during the last two years he could not find a big precious stone.

“I am not lucky to find big stone. I find few small pieces of emerald, which make me Rs500 to Rs1000 daily,” said Zahir Khan, a resident of Watkey area.

Fazal Hayat, who purchases large quantity of debris, has been working in the field for the last three years. He said that he was happy as he could earn more money than a daily wager.

“One of my sons and brothers are also working with me. I have even earned Rs60,000 a day and another day I have not earned a single penny so it is a game of luck but I am happy and will do it as long as the debris is available,” he said.

The debris is purchased from the emerald mine. A bag of emerald debris is sold at Rs50 by the contractors working at the mine.

Two brothers Bakhtmand and Jaipoor Khan, residents of Tospin area, had not proper tools to search for emerald in the debris. They said that remained jobless for over 20 days.

“Our neighbour suggested us to purchase debris and then seek emerald in it. We took Rs200 from our neighbours and purchased four bags of debris but so far we have not found any stone,” they said.

The emerald dealers visit the site to buy stones and onward sell these to other dealers in Mingora Bazaar.

The business not only benefits poor people but also transporters and restaurant owners. “I earn up to Rs2000 daily as I carry debris in my Suzuki pickup,” said Sultan Ali, a driver.

The business of emerald seeking has continued for about 30 years in Swat, however, it was stopped during the three years of militancy due to closure of the emerald mine.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2018