Indonesian Police Find 10,000 Illegal, Unregulated Oil Wells in Sumatra's Musi Banyuasin Regency

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - South Sumatra Regional Police Chief Inspector General Albertus Rachmad Wibowo said there were 10,000 illegal oil wells in Musi Banyuasin Regency. This data indicates weak government oversight of illegal oil drilling.

"The national police need help. They cannot work alone. Making arrests is tough as there are 10,000 of these wells, it will take time to clean them up," Rachmad said after attending the 78th Police Anniversary Day in South Sumatra on Monday, July 1.

Rachmad said oil extraction was the livelihood of the Musi Banyuasin community. However, the lack of regulatory oversight often leads to disasters in its activities.

Among the most recent incidents was an oil spill that polluted a river and led to an explosion of an illegal oil well in Srigunung village, Sungai Lilin on June 28. "[This happened] because people were coming in droves [to extract oil] while there was no proper supervision by the government," he said.

According to him, the police have often told the public that illegal oil extraction is not allowed. "This is not just the job of the police. It is also the job of the government and other stakeholders such as SKK Migas, ministries, the Environmental Service and the Energy Service. We are requesting that they coordinate everything together later," he said.

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