Doughty Kerala coir weavers forced to take up clam fishing amid an onslaught of mechanization

For coir workers in the Kadinamkulam backwaters of Thiruvananthapuram district, fishing for clams has become the fallback livelihood after coir sheds downed shutters in the past two years.

Hundreds of women have lost their jobs in Kerala as traditional coir weaving succumbed to mechanisation and stiff competition from other states backed by better marketing. Despite the high quality of the coir produced in the Chirayinkeezhu and its adjoining vast areas, the sun has set on the industry. (In pic: Nalini a woman diver searches for clams in the Kadinamkulam backwaters. | B P Deepu) 

Thrown off their livelihood, coir workers here, irrespective of age and gender, dive into the backwaters and scour the depths for edible clams. In places where the depth is as much 25 ft, the divers go down holding on to wooden poles driven into the riverbed. (In pic: A diver displays the clams. Notice the condition of his hands. | B P Deepu)

The lure is the high prices one might get. Middlemen from Alappuzha offer handsome prices for the better quality of mollusks, which are shipped to destinations such as Goa. (In pic: A clam diver uses the discarded guard of a table fan to catch clams. | B P Deepu)

The clam divers’ day begins at 6 am and ends by 1 pm. They get back to shore before the water gets warm. One basket of clams fetches Rs 500. (In pic: Divers return with with a boatload of clams. | B P Deepu)

Women who dive in the shallower spots might collect up to one and a half baskets. Men dive deeper, so they might come up with four or five baskets.  (In pic: Middlemen from Alappuzha load the catch into sacks. | B P Deepu)

This alternative livelihood comes at a cost. Skin and eye ailments and pulmonary diseases affect many of the men and women who scour these depths. (In pic: A young diver in action. | B P Deepu)

The water is highly polluted. The entire waste from Thiruvananthapuram, some 22 km to the south, flows into the Kadinamkulam lake via the man-made Parvathy-Puthanar canal. (In pic: Nalini and other divers return after a day's work. | B P Deepu)

The clam fishing season lasts barely three months of the year, beginning in the summer and ending in the mid-monsoon months. (In pic: Divers return with with a boatload of clams. | B P Deepu)