One such place is Thorangallu village, which sits downstream from the many mines in Bellary's Sandur area.
Here, as cliched as it sounds, impoverished children bathe in industrial run-off and iron ore particles. The dubious river, growing more contaminated by the day, is the village's only source of water.
But the adults here rely on the mines for their meager paychecks. And, as they explain, they have no where else to go. It's the classic Catch-22: Complain about the squalid living conditions, and risk losing the sole form of income for you and your family. Stick around, to work in the mines, and watch as family members, one by one, fall ill.
To makes things worse, the government has plans to demolish 2,000 homes along the roads, in order to widen them for the steady procession of lorries from the mines.
Image: Bellary's only source of drinking water is contaminated by iron ore particles and industrial waste.
Also see: 'We are creating two Indias' | India Votes
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