Question

Describe the production and distribution of petroleum in India.

Hint:

Remember the triad for India's oil geography: Mumbai High (largest), Assam & Gujarat (traditional onshore), and Barmer, Rajasthan (newer onshore hub)—with refineries strung along the coasts and key inland nodes like Mathura, Panipat and Barauni.

Answer 1

Overview: Petroleum in India occurs in onshore sedimentary basins and offshore shelves; production is dominated by western offshore (Mumbai High and adjoining fields), followed by onshore fields in Assam, Gujarat and Rajasthan, with newer output from eastern offshore basins.
Major producing regions (fields/basins):
1.\; Western Offshore (Arabian Sea): Mumbai High–Heera–Neelam–Bassein region off Maharashtra and Gujarat; the single largest contributor to national crude.
2.\; Assam–Arakan Basin (Northeast): Digboi, Naharkatiya, Moran, Lakwa and other fields in Upper Assam; India's earliest oil province.
3.\; Cambay Basin (Gujarat): Ankleshwar, Kalol, Mehsana etc.; significant onshore crude and associated gas.
4.\; Rajasthan (Barmer–Sanchore Basin): Mangala, Bhagyam and Aishwarya fields around Barmer; major onshore addition since late 2000s.
5.\; Eastern Offshore: Krishna–Godavari and Cauvery offshore producing oil and, more prominently, natural gas/condensate.
Distribution network (refining and pipelines):
- Refineries (selected, west–to–east): Jamnagar complex (Gujarat), Vadodara/Koyali and Himmatnagar region (Gujarat), Mumbai and Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra), Mangalore (Karnataka), Kochi (Kerala), Chennai/Manali and Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu), Visakhapatnam and Paradip (Andhra–Odisha coast), Haldia (West Bengal), Barauni (Bihar), Mathura and Panipat (U.P.–Haryana), Bongaigaon, Guwahati, Digboi and Numaligarh (Assam).
- Crude/product pipelines (illustrative): Naharkatiya–Barauni line moving Assam crude; offshore–Uran lines bringing Mumbai High crude to the mainland; Salaya–Mathura–Panipat network carrying west-coast crude inland; Mundra–Panipat and Paradip–Haldia–Barauni/Numaligarh product corridors; regional product lines feed depots and aviation fuel nodes.
- Ports & coastal movement: Kandla, Sikka/Jamnagar, Mumbai/JNPT, Mangalore, Kochi, Chennai, Ennore, Visakhapatnam and Paradip handle import of crude and coastal shipment of products to balance regional demand.
Spatial pattern and reasons:
- Offshore dominance reflects thick sedimentary sequences on the continental shelf and successful platform development.
- Assam and Gujarat host older Tertiary sediments and long-explored structures; Rajasthan's Thar desert traps have stratigraphic/structural highs discovered by modern seismic.
- Refineries tend to cluster near crude landfalls/ports or large consumption centres to minimize logistics costs.
Significance & issues:
- Petroleum fuels transport, petrochemicals and industry; refineries anchor coastal industrial belts.
- Challenges include mature field decline, high import dependence, E&P risks, environmental safeguards offshore/onshore and the need for enhanced recovery and diversification to cleaner fuels.