23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Waste

A worker struggles to clear solidified molten sugar near the S. Alam Refined Sugar Industries warehouse in Ichhanagar on March 5, 2024. A fire that erupted the previous day at the factory, located on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, raged for five days, releasing molten sugar that contaminated the river, leading to the deaths of fish and other aquatic life. This image serves as a stark reminder of the environmental devastation caused by the industrial accident.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2024
Date Uploaded: 12.2025
Photo Location: Chittagong, Bangladesh
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Copyright: © Sowrav Das