Narrator: These oil wells
are stuck in the past. And for over 100 years now, this has been the most lucrative job in this remote part of Indonesia, where the land has been
ruined by toxic leaks. Workers risk their lives to
extract the little that's left.

Narrator: But they
don't even own that oil. They're forced to sell
to the state company, which locals say barely
pays them enough to get by. Narrator: So why do these
toxic old wells still exist,

and how did thousands of people end up trapped working in them? Narrator: Pauni learned to extract oil when he was just 19. Now, he is teaching his nephew. Narrator: Many of the 700 oil wells near his village in East Java

were built by the Dutch in the late 1800s. Nowadays, locals own most of them, but only about 200 still work. Narrator: Pauni always
prays with his colleagues before starting his day. Narrator: The basic tools they rely on

are improvised and rustic. Like this engine they've
removed from an old dump truck. They have to step on gas and brake pedals to dip and lift this pipe that goes in. It's called the bailer. It has little holes in the
side to let oil in and out.

They need enough rope to lower the bailer all the way down into the oil reserve. At this location, the crude is
found about 1,000 feet below, a depth almost equal to the height of Indonesia's
tallest building.

When the bailer hits the bottom, the holes open up inside, letting oil in. Then, when the rope starts tugging up, the holes close, trapping
the oil inside the tube. Pauni uses this heavy iron
rod to guide the bailer down.

Sometimes, accidents happen. Narrator: The whole process is messy. Pauni says he sometimes wears a mask to protect himself from
the liquid that sprays out. But what he fears most
is a possible explosion. The old equipment can
overheat and catch fire.

With all this oil around, an open flame can
quickly spark an inferno. In June, a fire at another well in Sumatra killed four workers. It's also hard to maintain
these wells over time. They're too narrow and far too deep

for people to crawl in
and fix from inside. Narrator: Sometimes, mud clogs up the well and prevents the bailer
from reaching the oil. Narrator: The extracted oil
runs off into these pools. In its crude form, it's
mixed with mud and water.

The oil floats to the top
in a matter of minutes, and workers scoop it out. Pauni's nephew, Joko Mulyono, helps. They use a vacuum to transfer
the oil onto the car. About 200 years ago, before
these oil wells existed,

crude naturally oozed
out of the ground here. Locals gathered small amounts to light lamps and make medicine. But in 1887, the Dutch,
who colonized Indonesia, set up a large-scale drilling operation. Their oil company, Royal Dutch,

They managed many wells and refineries in East Java and brought in workers who were paid low wages to help work for them. As demand for oil boomed around the world, drilling in Indonesia expanded, too, and this land became unrecognizable.

The Dutch left after Indonesia gained independence in 1949, but the oil that had leaked from the wells had already polluted the surrounding earth and water, making farming, the work that had sustained locals long before these wells existed, much harder.

Extracting oil became the most lucrative work, but there wasn't nearly as much as before. When Pauni started this job in 2004, they could draw up to 900 gallons from this well in a day. Now, it takes him one week to get 55 gallons.

There's more underground, but the well is too shallow to reach it, and Pauni doesn't have the machinery to drill deeper. Narrator: Even though workers own the land, the state-owned company Pertamina possesses the right to all the oil underground.

So, by law, workers have to sell their oil to the company through a local government enterprise. But they often make more money selling it to off-the-radar refineries instead, where Pauni can make two times what Pertamina would pay.

Latest estimates from 2014 found that the state company was losing nearly $11 million annually to workers who sell their oil independently. Even after selling on the black market, workers still only make about $12 a week, which is not a lot, even in this part of Indonesia.

That's why most of the
workers bring lunch from home and share it with the others. Narrator: Pauni pays his nephew Joko an additional $6 weekly to
drive the oil to the refinery. That's become its own profession.

Narrator: Joko has been
at it for 16 years now. He used to make around 10 trips a day, each for a different well owner, but that's dropped down to just
four or five on a busy day.

Narrator: Pauni's neighbor Jaenuri processes the oil at
this artisanal refinery using traditional techniques. He works 13-hour days, carrying 20-pound
containers filled with crude up and down these hills. He dumps them into these 60-gallon drums.

First, Jaenuri lights
this underground furnace. He'll use it to heat
the crude in this drum. He fills it halfway to
give it space to boil. It has to reach at least
570 degrees Fahrenheit before it starts evaporating,
which is key to refining it.

The vapor comes up through these pipes, which are cooled with water. That turns the vapor back into a liquid. Narrator: They bring that
refined fuel to the boiler and heat it once more until it evaporates back
through these pipes.

Jaenuri repeats this
process three or four times to get different types of
fuel like gasoline and diesel. Narrator: All day long, workers here are breathing these fumes, a combination of nitrogen,
methane, and carbon monoxide.

which can cause cancer and brain damage. And if the gases get trapped underground, everything could explode. Narrator: And an entire day's work only fetches about one drum of diesel. That's about enough to fill a car three times.

Refineries are also required to sell their oil to Pertamina, but many sell at small black markets like this one. Locals buy oil for $2.27 per gallon. That's double what Pertamina would pay for it,

although the price fluctuates based on global oil prices. The quality of the artisanal oil is inferior, so locals mostly use it to fuel the engines in their wells. Some also use it in their cars, because the nearest gas station is 60 miles away.

That trip would cost them more in gas than they make in a day. Indonesia has enough oil reserves underground to power the entire country for at least four years. Still, it imports about half of the oil it consumes, and these artisanal workers

aren't allowed to dig new wells on their own land. They could get all their oil extraction rights revoked. Instead, they have to allow large companies to drill on their property, a law the country passed in 2001

to boost foreign investment and ramp up oil drilling. That year, Exxon Mobil discovered an oil field nearby and soon signed on to help Pertamina develop it, buying out 3,000 small landowners first. The plant started extracting in 2008

and now produces about
200,000 barrels annually, about a quarter of the
country's oil output. But locals say what they
really need from the government is funding for better machinery so they can develop
their fields themselves. Narrator: So workers find
ways to make do on their own,

because they say they have to. They keep digging more wells like these to tap as many shallow
reserves as they can. Narrator: According to some estimates, output from illegally dug wells is outpacing production at the legal ones by about 10 barrels a day.

Meanwhile, locals feel trapped in work that's damaged their land and now seems like their only
option for a stable income. Narrator: Pauni's family grew mangoes here for generations, but for the last few years,
his crops have kept dying.

Narrator: Still, he's grateful for every drop of oil he can get and that it's made it possible for his daughter to go to school and to have a better life than he did.

How Toxic Century-Old Oil Wells Trap Thousands Of Workers In Java | Risky Business

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Business Insider

Dangerous and Low-Paying Oil Extraction in Indonesia

Old, inefficient oil wells in Indonesia, causing environmental damage and endangering workers' lives.

Workers forced to sell oil to the state company at low prices, barely enough to survive.

Many wells built by the Dutch in the late 1800s, with most now owned by locals, but only a fraction still operational.

Workers use improvised and rustic tools, risking explosions and other accidents.

The extraction process is messy and dangerous, with risks of explosions and fires.

Historical Context and Environmental Impact

Oil naturally oozed from the ground before large-scale drilling by the Dutch in 1887.

Dutch colonization led to large-scale drilling, causing environmental pollution and impacting farming.

Oil extraction became the most lucrative work after independence, but yields have significantly decreased.

Wells are too shallow to reach deeper reserves, and workers lack the machinery to drill deeper.

Workers are legally obligated to sell oil to Pertamina, but often sell to black market refineries for higher profits.

Workers earn very low wages, even after selling on the black market, forcing them to share meals and resources.

Transporting oil to refineries has become a separate profession, with decreased demand impacting income.

The number of oil transportation trips has decreased significantly over the years.

Artisanal refineries use traditional techniques, involving long working hours and physical labor.

The refining process involves heating crude oil to high temperatures, with risks of explosions and exposure to harmful fumes.

Workers are exposed to dangerous fumes, risking cancer and brain damage.

A day's work yields a small amount of refined fuel.

Artisanal refineries also sell oil on the black market at higher prices than Pertamina.

The quality of artisanal oil is inferior, primarily used for local needs due to distance from gas stations.

Indonesia imports a significant portion of its oil despite having substantial reserves.

Workers are not allowed to dig new wells, and large companies are granted drilling rights on their land.

Land degradation due to oil extraction has impacted local agriculture.

Despite the hardships, the worker expresses gratitude for the income enabling his daughter's education and a better life.

How Toxic Century-Old Oil Wells Trap Thousands Of Workers In Java | Risky Business

How Toxic Century-Old Oil Wells Trap Thousands Of Workers In Java | Risky Business

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