The villagers point towards a dirty tank in which the children were playing.
"How can I stop these children from playing in the water? They love it. We can only pray that nothing goes wrong," says Chandra, a mother of two.
Justice Hegde points out in his report on Bellary that the poor conditions in the area make it unfit for human beings.
A strong breeze accentuates the problems of the area, when the town turns red due to the fine iron ore particles. The problem persists all the way through the transit area from Bellary to Mangalore, Karwar and Bilikere, where the iron ore is transported in lorries.
Image: A overturned truck carrying iron ore on the dusty red roads of Bellary.
Also see: 'Tamil Nadu will decide next prime minister' | India Votes 2009
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