Over the last few months, several articles and papers have emphasized the potent

ial role shale gas will play in India's hunt for energy. Shale gas is natural ga
s trapped in fine grained sediment. These articles did not have any graphics so
I am putting up a map of Indian sedimentary basins and a graphic depicting shale
gas geological reservoirs.
Indian Sedimentary Basins

The basins of interest in terms of shale gas potential are the mostly marine Mes
ozoic and Cenozoic basins in Rajasthan and Gujarath and the Cenozoic basins of A
ssam. The Gondwana basins of central and eastern India are continental interior
rift basins and are coal rich and have associated coal bed methane which if tapp
ed could also play an important role in India's energy mix.

Unlike gas reservoirs in coarser materials like sands, natural gas in shale is t
rapped in micro pores which may not be connected to each other i.e. they have lo
w permeability and the gas is quite difficult to extract.

India's conventional natural gas reserves are growing with new discoveries mostl
y along the east coast Krishna Godavari offshore basins. Early estimates of thes
e gas resources if proved correct may more than double in terms of energy equiva
lence India's proven reserves of about 5.6 billion barrels of oil. Unconventiona
l resources like shale gas have the potential of adding substantially more to t
hese resources. Currently natural gas makes up a small portion of India's energy
consumption pie (see fig on left) and the chance to move towards a cleaner emis
sions profile by substantially displacing coal in power generation (coal makes u
p about 70% of electricity generation) and eventually as fuel for transport make
s these unconventional sources a critical energy resource of the future.
I don't know how much shale gas resources India has because there has not been a
systematic evaluation of shale gas. India's current energy policy prohibits exp
loitation of shale gas and coal-bed methane. The sooner that policy changes the
better for energy starved India.
Still, there is one aspect of exploiting these resources that has not been touch
ed upon by any of the articles I have come across and that is the environmental
costs of extracting shale gas. Since this gas is locked up in impermeable layers
one of the common methods of extracting it is by hydraulic fracturing of the ro
ck. This involves injecting the shale with fluids and gels mixed with particulat
es like sand to keep the induced fractures open and enable migration of the gas
along open fractures.
A new film "Gasland" discussed on Science Friday last month looks at some of the
problems of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" of the Marcellus shale that unde
rlies large parts of Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio and West Virginia. Chemica
ls used in the injecting fluid has been reported to contaminate groundwater in P
ennsylvania. At least according to the film, the energy companies have been less
than forthright about the chemical composition of the injecting fluids which th
e film claims includes carcinogens and neurotoxins.
All this should send warning signals about the way and means by which India goes
about exploiting these shale gas resources. Groundwater is as important a reso
urce for India's economic development as is natural gas. Almost all drinking wat
er needs in rural areas are met by groundwater. A significant majority, about 2/
3, of arable area in India is irrigated by groundwater. Contamination of large
portions of the overlying aquifer will be nothing short of a catastrophe for far
mers who have no other water supply but groundwater.
The exploitation of coal bed methane offers another avenue for social conflict.
The Gondwana basins which are coal rich are forested regions and home to many tr
ibal communities. There has been a long history in India of the government and p
rivate mineral companies riding roughshod over tribal rights. The current violen
t insurgency that is taking place along tribal regions of Chattisgarh, Maharasht
ra and Jharkhand has its roots in the rampant exploitation and callous indiffere
nce shown by the state and private companies towards tribal communities.
So, shale gas and coal bed methane offer a significantly large energy source but
also open up the possibility of more environmental and social disruption.

India's conventional natural gas reserves are growing with new discoveries mostl
y along the east coast Krishna Godavari offshore basins. Early estimates of thes
e gas resources if proved correct may more than double in terms of energy equiva
lence India's proven reserves of about 5.6 billion barrels of oil. Unconventiona
l resources like shale gas have the potential of adding substantially more to t
hese resources. Currently natural gas makes up a small portion of India's energy
consumption pie (see fig on left) and the chance to move towards a cleaner emis
sions profile by substantially displacing coal in power generation (coal makes u
p about 70% of electricity generation) and eventually as fuel for transport make
s these unconventional sources a critical energy resource of the future.
I don't know how much shale gas resources India has because there has not been a
systematic evaluation of shale gas. India's current energy policy prohibits exp
loitation of shale gas and coal-bed methane. The sooner that policy changes the
better for energy starved India.
Still, there is one aspect of exploiting these resources that has not been touch
ed upon by any of the articles I have come across and that is the environmental
costs of extracting shale gas. Since this gas is locked up in impermeable layers
one of the common methods of extracting it is by hydraulic fracturing of the ro
ck. This involves injecting the shale with fluids and gels mixed with particulat
es like sand to keep the induced fractures open and enable migration of the gas
along open fractures.
A new film "Gasland" discussed on Science Friday last month looks at some of the
problems of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" of the Marcellus shale that unde
rlies large parts of Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio and West Virginia. Chemica
ls used in the injecting fluid has been reported to contaminate groundwater in P
ennsylvania. At least according to the film, the energy companies have been less
than forthright about the chemical composition of the injecting fluids which th
e film claims includes carcinogens and neurotoxins.
All this should send warning signals about the way and means by which India goes
about exploiting these shale gas resources. Groundwater is as important a reso
urce for India's economic development as is natural gas. Almost all drinking wat
er needs in rural areas are met by groundwater. A significant majority, about 2/
3, of arable area in India is irrigated by groundwater. Contamination of large
portions of the overlying aquifer will be nothing short of a catastrophe for far
mers who have no other water supply but groundwater.
The exploitation of coal bed methane offers another avenue for social conflict.
The Gondwana basins which are coal rich are forested regions and home to many tr
ibal communities. There has been a long history in India of the government and p
rivate mineral companies riding roughshod over tribal rights. The current violen
t insurgency that is taking place along tribal regions of Chattisgarh, Maharasht
ra and Jharkhand has its roots in the rampant exploitation and callous indiffere
nce shown by the state and private companies towards tribal communities.
So, shale gas and coal bed methane offer a significantly large energy source but
also open up the possibility of more environmental and social disruption.

India's conventional natural gas reserves are growing with new discoveries mostl
y along the east coast Krishna Godavari offshore basins. Early estimates of thes
e gas resources if proved correct may more than double in terms of energy equiva
lence India's proven reserves of about 5.6 billion barrels of oil. Unconventiona
l resources like shale gas have the potential of adding substantially more to t
hese resources. Currently natural gas makes up a small portion of India's energy
consumption pie (see fig on left) and the chance to move towards a cleaner emis
sions profile by substantially displacing coal in power generation (coal makes u
p about 70% of electricity generation) and eventually as fuel for transport make
s these unconventional sources a critical energy resource of the future.
I don't know how much shale gas resources India has because there has not been a
systematic evaluation of shale gas. India's current energy policy prohibits exp
loitation of shale gas and coal-bed methane. The sooner that policy changes the
better for energy starved India.
Still, there is one aspect of exploiting these resources that has not been touch
ed upon by any of the articles I have come across and that is the environmental
costs of extracting shale gas. Since this gas is locked up in impermeable layers
one of the common methods of extracting it is by hydraulic fracturing of the ro
ck. This involves injecting the shale with fluids and gels mixed with particulat
es like sand to keep the induced fractures open and enable migration of the gas
along open fractures.
A new film "Gasland" discussed on Science Friday last month looks at some of the
problems of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" of the Marcellus shale that unde
rlies large parts of Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio and West Virginia. Chemica
ls used in the injecting fluid has been reported to contaminate groundwater in P
ennsylvania. At least according to the film, the energy companies have been less
than forthright about the chemical composition of the injecting fluids which th
e film claims includes carcinogens and neurotoxins.
All this should send warning signals about the way and means by which India goes
about exploiting these shale gas resources. Groundwater is as important a reso
urce for India's economic development as is natural gas. Almost all drinking wat
er needs in rural areas are met by groundwater. A significant majority, about 2/
3, of arable area in India is irrigated by groundwater. Contamination of large
portions of the overlying aquifer will be nothing short of a catastrophe for far
mers who have no other water supply but groundwater.
The exploitation of coal bed methane offers another avenue for social conflict.
The Gondwana basins which are coal rich are forested regions and home to many tr
ibal communities. There has been a long history in India of the government and p
rivate mineral companies riding roughshod over tribal rights. The current violen
t insurgency that is taking place along tribal regions of Chattisgarh, Maharasht
ra and Jharkhand has its roots in the rampant exploitation and callous indiffere
nce shown by the state and private companies towards tribal communities.
So, shale gas and coal bed methane offer a significantly large energy source but
also open up the possibility of more environmental and social disruption.