Workers loading a tractor with stones dug up from the bank of the Dhalai River at Bholagonj in Sylhet's Companyganj upazila, some 40 kilometres off the city. A group has been illegally extracting stone from the river banks for about four months after they were stopped by the upazila administration from extracting stone from the river bed. Such activity has been causing erosion of the river, threatening the very existence of nearby villages. The photo was taken on Sept 09. Photo: Sheikh Nasir