Crude production
Myanmar is a place both of rich natural resources and high levels of deprivation. Around one in four among its population falls below the poverty line.
In Minhla township, some poorer residents have found ways to benefit a little from oil supplies that surround them. People like the woman pictured here on the left make money by manually extracting oil from the ground, often using crude and dangerous methods.
Ko Min turns a lever to manually draw oil from a well.
He is free to use the wells, having bought extraction rights from a local farmer for about $1,000.
The wells stand dotted among makeshift tents.
Much of the machinery used by the workers is basic and hand operated.
A woman makes her way across the muddy oil field.
A woman balances a canister of clean water on her head as she walks through the mud.
A girl feeds a young child rice as they sit in a shelter in the field.
A man reads a book and listens to music as he takes a break.
People wait to sell their crude oil to buyers .
Ko Min receives payment for his oil.
