In Wonocolo, East Java, Sujiyanto, 51, operates a jury-rigged pump on a teak-log derrick, extracting crude from one of the world's shallowest oil fields at 1,600 feet. Known as Little Texas (Teksas Wonocolo), this 120-acre field discovered in 1893 hosts hundreds of unregistered community wells. Big firms deem it commercially insignificant, yet subsistence drilling persists through market cycles.

Around 34,000 such wells operate nationwide, bypassing safety regulations. A fatal pulley accident five years ago underscores risks. Environmentalists cite air and soil pollution, while Pradipta Indra Ariono of WALHI East Java calls it a symptom of job scarcity. Workers like Suwoto, 73, scrape residual oil from rivers, earning $25 daily. Mujiyono, 70, recalls wells once yielding 38 barrels daily; now a week produces seven to eight barrels, selling to Pertamina for about $400 — below market rate.

Despite depletion, investors like Sumanta, 64, remain optimistic, extracting 300 barrels weekly. A decade-old government tourism push — museum, tower, food hall — has largely failed, leaving the observation tower overlooking blue skies and black smoke as a solitary relic.