Smokey Mountain
Every day, trucks bring tons of garbage to the place, which the locals call Smokey Mountain. We are in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, a city housing over 16 million people. Smokey Mountain, a landfill site, has become home to more than 5.000 families. They have built their own houses out of planks and trash and are now trying to make a living from sorting and selling whatever they might find in the endless piles of rubbish. In spite of the tough conditions, the local population has made a daily life worth living at the landfill.
The citizens of Smokey Mountain have created a local community even though they live in the middle of a dump. There are restaurants, a school, a kindergarten, a basketball field, a church and an arcade with pool tables as well as slot machines contained within the area.
The Rosal Family arrived at Smokey Mountain four years ago. The children and their parents, Roberto and Rowana live in a little wooden shed. ‘Here, we know we can find work every day, because the trash continues to arrive. But the children have to help raise money every day after school’ explains the father, Roberto.
The dumpsite is located close to Manila Bay, a popular place for the kids to play around. Many of them are born in the same shed where they are now growing up. Most of the children have never experienced another world than the one surrounding them in Smokey Mountain.
Nobody pays rent in Smokey Mountain, there is no flowing water and electricity is only available during limited periods throughout the day.
Smokey Mountain is a dangerous place to live. Every year, a lot of the inhabitants die from air pollution, and the Philippine government is being criticised for not doing enough to prevent the problem.
Published by metroXpress