Ijen

In the pre-dawn hours, miners at Ijen Volcano in East Java, Indonesia, begin their arduous trek toward the crater. Each day, they descend into a hazardous environment filled with toxic sulphur fumes, using only damp cloths as makeshift gas masks. Inside the crater, miners break apart solidified sulphur deposits with iron rods. They collect the bright yellow sulphur in woven baskets, each weighing up to 90 kilograms, and then climb back up steep, unstable paths. Exposure to sulphur dioxide poses severe respiratory risks, yet miners make multiple trips daily to earn a livelihood. They typically earn between 100,000 to 150,000 Indonesian Rupiah ($7 to $10) per day, depending on the amount of sulphur they transport. Despite the health toll, this work remains their primary source of income. The extracted sulphur is essential for industries such as fertilizers and sugar refining. Nearby village families rely on this income, with many women managing households while men mine. The Ijen sulphur mining operations underscore the extreme conditions workers endure to supply crucial raw materials for global industries.