Scratching out a living in oil fields

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.