Durgapur: Poor Families Brave Filthy Drains for Cooking Fuel

• Poor families in Durgapur's industrial area collect liquid coal waste from factory drains to create cooking fuel.
• This dangerous practice involves wading into dirty, polluted drain water, often containing snakes, due to inability to afford gas or wood.
• The collected liquid coal is processed by drying, mixing with rice starch and sawdust, then formed into pellets for use as fuel.
• Locals claim industrial waste coal provides better quality fuel than mine waste due to mixed fuel oil, offering superior heat.

Why It Matters: Desperate families risk lives collecting toxic coal waste for fuel due to poverty.