The brick kilns that dominate the small village of Aqilpur in Pakistan's Punjab province now lie abandoned, furnaces extinguished by weeks of torrential rain that have caused the worst floods in the country's history. Though the floods that engulfed Aqilpur and its surrounding fields have receded from the highs of a week ago, the kilns are still surrounded by water. Most of those who lived on-site -- part of the country's millions-strong workforce known as "daily wagers" because of their piecemeal salaries -- abandoned their homes for higher, dry ground. "I come here daily on my bicycle and go from one kiln to another to look for work but find nothing," said Muhammad Ayub, an itinerant labourer. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES