Ban, but business goes boom

Workers race to meet orders in risky jobs that see explosions every year.

Wrapping heaps of cone-shaped sparklers in red paper and trimming lengths of silver fuse by the hundreds, workers at an Indian fireworks factory race to meet orders for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

Authorities regularly impose bans on the smoky pyrotechnics to reduce the hazardous pollution they cause but to many, firecrackers are an integral part of the holiday's celebrations.

Toxic chemical fumes hang heavy in the air at the factory in Sivakasi, a city in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the heartland of India's fireworks production.

It is a risky job, with deadly explosions in factories taking place each year in India, but workers say they have little choice.

"There is no other job opportunity in the area", said 49-year-old Rajathi, pausing from the rapid work of sealing explosives in garish wrapping.

Rajathi, who uses only one name, said she did not want her children to follow in her footsteps at a job where she earns up to 800 rupees (about R165) a day.