Energy access kerosene - the east and the west

1. Energy access: tracing the contours of
inequality:
When will the twain meet?
Comparing the East (Odisha and West Bengal)
and
the West (Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa)

2. • The eastern region and the western region of India
stand in stark contrast with each other in most
development patterns.
•It is instructive to study this contrast to highlight the
development gap in terms of the basic household energy
consumption – lighting and cooking.
•We do this by comparing Odisha and West Bengal, on
one hand and Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa on the
other.

3. Rural Odisha reveals a considerable dependence on kerosene for lighting even
though there has been an improvement in its coastal and western part compared to
the situation in 2001. However the long compact south – north patch where more
than 2/3rds households depend on kerosene for lighting should be a cause of
worry.
Kerosene as Source of Light in Rural Odisha
<=33% 33% - 66% >66%

4. Urban Odisha reveals a considerable region with more than 30% households being
dependent on kerosene for lighting.
Kerosene as Source of Light in Urban Odisha
<=10% 10% - 33% >33% <=10% 10% - 30% >30%

5. Fire-wood, 5,750,957 , 71%
Coal,Lignite,Charcoal,
67,431 , 1%
Cowdung cake, 870,802 ,
Crop residue, 949,225 ,
12%
11%
Kerosene, 21,970 , 0%
LPG/PNG, 249,134 , 3%
Electricity, 16,953 , 0%
Biogas, 11,631 , 0%
Any other, 186,205 , 2%
No cooking, 19,704 , 0%
Fuel sources for cooking Odisha (R) Census 2011
Rural Odisha reveals a huge dependence on firewood (71%) crop residue (12%)
and cow dung cakes (11%) for cooking energy. LPG is merely a bit player (3%)
while usage of kerosene is insignificant.

6. Electricity, 25,615 , 2%
Fire-wood, 528,516 , 35%
No cooking, 7,971 , 0%
Cowdung cake, 39,600 , 3%
Crop residue, 33,603 , 2%
Fuel sources for cooking Odisha (U)
Coal,Lignite,Charcoal,
Kerosene, 85,352 , 6% 85,550 , 6%
Biogas, 3,289 , 0%
Any other, 7,508 , 0%
LPG/PNG, 700,069 , 46%
Urban Odisha on the other hand is able to make available LPG to 46% of its
households even though the dependence on firewood (35%) remains significant. Coal
(6%) also assumes significance though not on the same scale as that in West Bengal.

7. Urban West Bengal, notwithstanding it development and urbanisation, reveals a
sizeable region with more than 33% households being dependent on kerosene for
lighting (Shown in red).
Kerosene as Source of Light in Urban West Bengal
<=10%
10% - 33%
>33%

8. And while rural West Bengal has shown considerable improvement over the situation
in 2001, it has number of sub-districts where more than 2/3rd households still depend
on kerosene for lighting (shown in Red) and the area where such dependence is
below 33% (shown in green) is rather small.
Kerosene as Source of Light in Rural West Bengal
<=33%
33% - 66%
>66%

9. Fire-wood, 5,375,684 , 39%
Coal,Lignite,Charcoal,
Cowdung cake, 1,865,856 ,
14%
Crop residue, 4,899,863 ,
36%
452,721 , 3%
LPG/PNG, 543,381 , 4% Electricity, 8,064 , 0%
Kerosene, 27,164 , 0%
Biogas, 23,391 , 0% Any other, 494,229 , 4%
No cooking, 26,833 , 0%
Fuel sources for cooking West Bengal (R)
West Bengal shows certain different trends in use of various fuel sources for cooking
purpose both in the rural and the urban areas. LPG usage is pathetically low (4%)
while the dependence on firewood (39%) is comparable to that of crop residue
(36%) Use of coal (3%) is not quite significant – a picture that changes in urban
areas considerably.

10. Electricity, 7,064 , 0%
Fire-wood, 1,261,657 , 20%
Crop residue, 227,952 , 4%
Cowdung cake, 144,729 ,
2%
Coal,Lignite,Charcoal,
1,132,727 , 18%
Fuel sources for cooking West Bengal (R)
Kerosene, 402,145 , 6%
Biogas, 27,884 , 0%
Any other, 56,023 , 1%
LPG/PNG, 3,059,912 , 48%
No cooking, 30,020 , 1%
Urban West Bengal does not score very well on LPG usage (48%). Kerosene is used
by less than 6% households and even this usage is confined to few pockets. The
reduced dependence on firewood (20%) is partly on account of coal (18%). There is
surely a case for introduction of improved cook-stoves in urban West Bengal.

11. Even with a far more stringent benchmark of 10% or more households dependent on
kerosene for lighting being shown in red, urban Maharashtra has shown considerable
improvement between 2001 and 2011 with sharp reduction in the number of such
sub-districts while sub-districts where less than 4% households use kerosene for
lighting has gone up significantly.
Kerosene as Source of Light in Urban Maharashtra
<=4% 4% - 10% >10%

12. Rural Maharashtra has not been so fortunate. While the number of sub-districts with more than
33% households has reduced considerably, most sub-districts remain in the 15% plus
benchmark (shown in yellow) except the compact cluster in the coastal and western part
(shown in green) and a small cluster around Nagpur. Maharashtra’s southern neighbours have
done better in this regard and so has rural Gujrat.
Kerosene as Source of Light in Rural Maharashtra
<=15% 15% - 33% >33%

13. Rural Gujrat has performed well in reducing substantially, the number of sub-districts where more
than 15% households use kerosene . However the couple of compact clusters on the eastern and
northern periphery should be a matter of concern for the planers. The cluster where less than
6% households use kerosene for lighting (shown in green) has expanded considerably and
contiguously.
Kerosene as Source of Light in Rural Gujarat
<=8% 8% - 15% >15%

14. Not surprisingly, urban Gujrat has performed well bringing a majority of sub-districts
below the bench mark of 4% households depending on kerosene for lighting. It is
certainly possible to step up this to cover all urban areas and in fact make the bench
mark even tighter.
Kerosene as Source of Light in Urban Gujarat
<=4% 4% - 8% >8%

15. Fire-wood, 4,592,710 , 68%
LPG/PNG, 967,185 , 14% Biogas, 65,292 , 1% Electricity, 3,021 , 0%
Kerosene, 208,103 , 3%
Coal,Lignite,Charcoal, 9,480 ,
0%
Cowdung cake, 243,080 ,
4%
Crop residue, 653,764 , 10%
Any other, 2,789 , 0%
No cooking, 19,979 , 0%
Fuel sources for cooking Gujrat (R)
In terms of cooking energy, rural Gujrat has not done very well on LPG usage (14%).
Kerosene use is certainly low, less than 3% households depend on it. But the
dependence on firewood (68%) and crop residue (10%) is substantial though the
use of cow dung is quite low.

16. Fire-wood, 769,948 , 14%
Coal,Lignite,Charcoal, 45,552
Cowdung cake, 69,926 , 1%
, 1%
No cooking, 26,451 , 1%
Crop residue, 39,583 , 1%
Electricity, 1,527 , 0%
Biogas, 45,456 , 1%
Any other, 3,414 , 0%
LPG/PNG, 3,700,212 , 68% Kerosene, 714,246 , 13%
Fuel sources for cooking Gujrat (U)
In urban Gujrat, the LPG(68%) and firewood (14%) usage pattern literally reverses,
and, although other sources are used very less, the usage of kerosene (13%) is
significant.

17. Fire-wood, 8,973,762
, 69%
Kerosene, 215,421 ,
2%
Coal,Lignite,Charcoal,
16,119 , 0%
Cowdung cake,
262,860 , 2%
Crop residue,
1,003,765 , 8%
LPG/PNG, 2,326,765
, 18% Electricity, 8,558 , 0%
Biogas, 136,215 , 1% Any other, 15,274 ,
0%
No cooking, 57,913 ,
0%
Fuel sources for cooking Maharashtra (R)
Rural Maharashtra too, does not score very well on LPG usage (18%). There is huge
dependence on firewood (69%). Kerosene is used by just bout 2% of the households.
The pattern is quite similar to that seen for rural Gujrat.

18. Fire-wood, 1,169,011 , 11%
Cowdung cake, 30,359 , 0%
Coal,Lignite,Charcoal, 36,586
, 1%
Crop residue, 78,736 , 1%
Kerosene, 1,325,249 , 12%
LPG/PNG, 8,009,030 , 74%
Electricity, 4,585 , 0%
Biogas, 23,672 , 0%
Any other, 14,489 , 0%
No cooking, 122,211 , 1%
Fuel sources for cooking Maharashtra (U)
In urban Maharashtra LPG usage (74%) is quite high, with rest of the space being
accounted for mainly by Kerosene (12%) and firewood (11%).

19. It will be interesting to see how Goa fares compared to Gujrat and Maharashtra. Rural Goa has
very little dependence on kerosene for lighting and within this it presents an interesting east
west divide.
Kerosene as Source of Light in Urban Goa
<=2%
2% - 3%
>3%

20. Urban Goa has done even better with hardly one sub-district (shown in red) having more than
3% households depending on kerosene for electricity, and a majority where the number of such
household is less than 2% (shown in green). Does Goa show similar performance for the
cooking energy?
Kerosene as Source of Light in Rural Goa
<=3%
3% - 5%
>5%

21. Fire-wood, 44,089 , 35%
Crop residue, 1,464 , 1%
Cowdung cake, 245 , 0%
Coal,Lignite,Charcoal, 132 ,
0%
Kerosene, 3,244 , 3%
Biogas, 431 , 0% Electricity, 94 , 0%
LPG/PNG, 74,187 , 60%
Any other, 56 , 0%
No cooking, 732 , 1%
Fuel sources for cooking: Goa (R)
LPG usage (60%) in rural Goa is impressive. With firewood (35%) and kerosene
accounting for the rest. There is surely a case for introduction of improved cook-stoves
programme to saturation levels in Goa given its compact size..

22. Fire-wood, 22,851 , 12% Crop residue, 1,393 , 1%
Cowdung cake, 465 , 0%
Coal,Lignite,Charcoal, 265 ,
0%
Kerosene, 10,084 , 5%
Biogas, 758 , 0% Electricity, 80 , 0%
LPG/PNG, 160,616 , 81%
Any other, 121 , 0%
No cooking, 1,506 , 1%
Fuel sources for cooking: Goa (U)
LPG consumption in urban Goa (81%) is impressive by any standard. Firewood
(12%) and kerosene (5%) account for the rest. Given the power availability urban
Goa could be an ideal case for the popularisation of the forced draft blue flame cook
stoves.

23. We thus see the stark contrast between the
eastern states and the Western states.
The important question in the context of the
energy divide that emerges is
When will the Twain meet – if at all.
We now turn to Sikkim and the Seven Sisters