Scratching out a living in oil fields

Text and photos by Tarko Sudiarno

The people are not wealthy, as many imagine they would be as oil workers and owners of oil wells. Despite living their lives almost continually smeared in oil, they still fight poverty on a daily basis. The Wonocolo villagers in the East Java town of Bojonegoro earn a paltry amount of money from the sweat they shed retrieving lantung (raw oil) from old oil wells in the area.

The 300-meter-deep wells, located in teak forests, were left behind by the Dutch colonialists, and later deserted by state oil and gas company Pertamina.

The raw oil retrieved is sold to Pertamina through a cooperative unit in the village for Rp 140 per liter. The miners usually collect about 1,200 liters per day. On average, each miner can bring home between Rp 8,000 and Rp 10,000 a day, no matter how hard they work.

The images below capture the hard work of the locals as they look for the oil that will allow them and their families to survive another day.