Ukraine war hits India's diamond workers

By Agence France-Presse

Jun 27, 2022 12:18 am

SURAT, India: Yogesh Zanzamera lays out his bed on the floor of the factory where he works and lives, one of around 2 million Indians polishing diamonds in an industry being hit hard by the Ukraine war.

The air reeking from the only toilet for 35 to 40 people, conditions at workshops like this in Gujarat state leave workers at risk of lung disease, deteriorating vision and other illnesses.

FALTERING INDUSTRY In this photo taken on June 1, 2022, women employees work on diamond polishing machines at a factory in Surat. Originally founded as a port city at the mouth of the Tapi River, Surat earned its reputation as the ‘Diamond City of India’ in the 1960s and 1970s. Some 90 percent of the world’s diamonds are cut and polished in the bustling industrial city and elsewhere in the western state of Gujarat. AFP PHOTO

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