Smokeless stoves prove useful to Kavre residents

Himalayan News Service

Kavre, April 28

Saheli Lama of Pinthali village no longer has to cook food in the midst of thick smoke, which used to force her cry. Further to this, she does not need to continuously wash her sooted clothes, nor blackened cooking pots so regularly.

Tejmaya Gautam of Dadatol now has no problems staying near the stove these days. Similarly, Sita Budhathoki of Haredad does not have to collect bundles of firewood to cook her food, but only needs a few sticks. In this way, since her food is now cooked within such a comparatively short space of time, she has more leisure time to do other things.

This is all thanks to Improved Cooking Stoves (ICS), which are greatly helping locals in this regard. Till now, local women Sahili, Tejmaya and Sita who were found to have been totally dependant on Traditional Cooking Stoves (TCS) to cook their food have started using ICS instead of TCS.

In order to attract locals towards ICS, District Development Committee (DDC) and Rural Energy Development Section (REDS) prepared a Functional Group at the level of Village Development Committees (VDCs) Naya Gaun, Pokharichaur, Mangaltar, Katunje, Madankudari, Budhakhani, Falametar and Samle Chakal. In addition, they have recently conducted a training programme for its members. Immediately after the training, a competition to build the stoves was held among 15 women and 25 men, who had already been trained at the programme. Bikram Shrestha of Mangaltar, who was successful in making 100 pieces, took first prize, even though Mukund Chaulagain of Pokharichauri made a greater amount. It takes about two days for Gautam, technician of the stoves, to make the stoves ready for usage. On the first day, the bricks are prepared, whereas the next day the stoves are added and for this service, the person assembling the stove receives Rs 100. Besides doing so in Kavre, Gautam is found to have been involved in such activities in many VDCs of Ramechhap district too, said Dilip Sharma, Community Mobiliser of REDS.

According to Mahendra Neupane, District Energy Advisor, ICS are not a new discovery, but just modified and upgraded forms of TCS. The positive aspects of ICS are that less fuel can be used and the heat of the stove does not burn so quickly. Since the smoke passes through a pipe, it will not affect the eyes.

At the same time Bal Krishna Bhusal, Chief of District Health Office said that since ICS are better in that they produce less smoke, they have also proved safer regarding health aspects. People are less at risk from diseases like lung infections, Pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses.

Meanwhile, in accordance with research made by World Health Organisation (WHO) a woman who works in a kitchen full of thick smoke, can be likened to be smoking 100 cigarettes per day, since the carbon dioxide produced from such smoke is the main reason behind causing diseases related to respiration, say some concerned specialists.

Not only those women involved in activities around smoke are affected, but also their unborn children are at grave risk, as mentioned in the report of WHO.

According to a report given by REDS Kavre there are 175 ICS at Pokharichaur, 160 at Mangaltar, 140 at Budhakhani and 637 at another five VDCs where the programme is ongoing. Another source of energy, ‘Biogas Plants’ are also already popular in the area. According to a survey, 561 Biogas Plants are reported to have been installed at six VDCs.

Meanwhile, according to data published by REDS Kavre, since Biogas Plants and ICS are being used here by the locals, 1898 metric tons of firewood have already been saved and a production of 665 metric tons of carbon has been eliminated. As a result, Schima Wallichii (Chilaunce), trees of 20cm DBH (Diameter in breast height) have been protected from being cutting down.

However, most of the people in the area still depend upon firewood as their main source of fuel. People who are not able to use more developed kinds of energy resources due to poverty have accepted ICS as the best options.