Deep in the subsoil of Chechnya's war-wrecked capital Grozny lies a resource that has enabled hundreds of the city's residents to earn a respectable living despite the misery and tribulations of four years of war: oil. Since the creation of Chechnya's oil industry at the start of the last century, a virtual lake of black gold has formed beneath the city, seeping into the region's sub-strata from its three Soviet-built refineries. Little remains of the original refineries, bombed to pieces during the two Chechen wars (1994-96 and post-1999) or scavenged for scrap by local people. But the oil that they have leaked into the ground is today proving a boon to Grozny residents who, working day and night in primitive conditions often risking their lives, have formed a cottage oil-extraction industry. Digging for this oil, a refined product that locals call "concentrate", began in the mid-1990s in Grozny's industrial suburbs and in the area near the main railway station. Pioneers said that to begin with, even a 3m pit was sufficient to yield several tonnes of the precious oil "concentrate" daily. With its high level of refinement, the "concentrate" could fetch twice as much as a regular oil product. Now however, diggers have to delve much deeper to obtain similar results. "We dig 20m or 30m down, sometimes more. The last time we dug a hole 43m deep," Salman said. "It's hard work, but we earn a good living. Over the past four months I've made 1,300 US dollars. We have to keep going round the clock as our salary depends on how much we extract," said the father of three small children. The pit is one of several owned by Salman's boss, who reckons on producing a total of 1.5 tonnes of oil product per day. Though the industry is totally unregulated, experts are needed to ensure that the pit functions properly. Errors could allow water to seep in, rendering the pit useless. "We sleep, eat and rest at the site. Our task is to keep the well functioning. We repair it when necessary and pump out the condensate whenever it accumulates," said Adian, a 30-year-old veteran of the industry. "The work isn't hard but it's dangerous and eats up your health. But you have to earn a living somehow," he sighed. The highly risky part is pumping the oil to the surface. A worker descends into the pit fitted with a gas mask connected to a long hose allowing him to breathe fresh air from above. There are no security guarantees and there have been several cases of gas poisoning. Once pumped to the surface, the "concentrate" is stocked in special containers and transported to small refineries for sale outside the republic's borders. According to unofficial figures, up to 500 tonnes of condensed oil products are extracted in this way every day. Chechnya has always played a significant role in Russia's oil industry. A major pipeline runs through the Caucasus republic and, in the early 20th century, it accounted for nearly 20% of Russia's oil output. Before it unilaterally declared independence in 1991, triggering two Russian military interventions, Chechnya, along with neighbouring Ingushetia, turned out up to 4million tonnes of oil a day, although production had fallen by half by the mid-1990s. - AFP From: Gulf Times 24/8/2003