Bharat Laxmi Stoves Saving Lives In Nandal

Smokeless cookstoves have been installed in all 500 households of Nandal Village in Satara district by Samuchit Enviro Tech. The Bharatlaxmi stoves have slashed fuel consumption and smoke emissions by 30% and 80% respectively as compared to traditional stoves says Samuchit Enviro Tech.

In Nandal Village, Cummins Diesel Foundation provided financial assistance while technical know how was provided by Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI). The stoves have been supplied by Samuchit Enviro Tech Pvt Ltd.

Each family has contributed just about Rs 100 (approx USD 2.5) worth of materials for stove installation. The total cost for installing each Bharatlaxmi Stove was not more than INR 700 (approx USD 15). The project, says Samuchit, will go on to create more smoke free homes in the vicinity, with installation of 500 more stoves in nearby villages.

Women folk of the village say there is no smoke in the house after the installation of the chulha. In the words of one of the ladies using the stove - ‘Since I got this chulha, there is no smoke in the house. With my previous traditional chulha, I can’t even describe how much my eyes used to water. Now I need only a handful of fuel sticks and the cooking is finished so fast! Earlier even if I cleaned the house every other day, in a short while again it looked dirty. Now I don’t have to clean for 4-5 days, still it is fine.’

Mr R D Hanbar Deshmukh, Vice President, ARTI feels , “A cookstove touches the life of the rural woman, and an improved cook stove that eases some of her hardships is greatly appreciated.” Therefore, the fact that the stove donors ensured provision of stoves in the rural kitchen has touched the hearts of the villagers. 

The stove has passed rigorous testing carried out by Cummins India team using six sigma principles, said Dr. Priyadarshini Karve, Project Co-ordinator, ARTI & Director, Samuchit Enviro Tech Pvt Ltd.

Photo Courtesy: Samuchit Enviro Tech Pvt Ltd 

Read the full story on: Bharatlaxmi Stoves Save Lives in Village Nandal

"A Woman's Issue, A Children's Issue, An Economic Issue"

The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves was covered on “The Martha Stewart Show” to raise awareness about the unique role clean cookstoves play in saving lives, improving livelihoods, empowering women, and combating climate change. Martha encouraged her viewers to join the clean cookstove movement.

Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), appeared on the show to explain how clean cookstoves can deliver significant environmental and health benefits in the developing world. Jackson said, "This is a women's issue, a childrens' issue, and an economic issue."

Aaron Sherinian, representative of the Alliance of the United Nations Foundation stated that "Cooking shouldn't kill, but for many women and families around the world it does. Everyone can get involved and tell the world that this issue matters and should be at the top of the global agenda."

Uganda Stoves Project Saving Money, Creating Jobs

Climate Care's Uganda Stoves Project which provides efficient wood burning stoves to families and institutions in Kampala is currently distributing both an improved fuel-efficient residential wood stoves and an improved fuel-efficient institutional wood stove.

The project aims to install 20,000 stoves every year initially, with the hope of in the initial years, with the intent of increasing sales in later years. Each stove will have an average life of 3 years.

The stoves have increased family incomes due to reduced expenditure on wood fuel as well improved general health of the family due to reduction in toxic fumes. According to Climate Change, reduced deforestation in Uganda is the biggest environmental benefit from the project.

The project will assist in building a better economic base for the country with improvements in local technological and business capability as well as new employment opportunities, says Climate Care.

Kiwa, the Inventory Manager at Uganda Stove Manufacturers Ltd, where the efficient stoves are made, says, “The people living in this area of Kampala are very poor. The stove factory has brought a lot of employment to the area and now employs 56 people, mostly residents of the local parish.”

Carbon financing is also helping sustain such enterprises and also provide good living conditions to the local inhabitants. David Mukisa, who heads the Uganda Improved Cooking project in Kampala explains how carbon finance through the voluntary market has helped the project, “I think that this project is a really good example of a success story of the voluntary carbon market mechanism. In the first year of our improved cooking stove project here in Kampala we did not have access to carbon finance and the business model proved to be unsustainable, with just 3,000 stoves sold in the first 9 months."

Grace, a local resident who uses an efficient cookstove says,“I feel happy with it. It functions well and lasts a lot longer than the traditional stove that I used previously. It saves my family money on charcoal and I would not want to change back to using the old stove that I once used.”


Read the full profile on: Uganda Efficient Stoves

The Priority Is Building Better Stoves And Creating Awareness

Shell Foundation is promoting clean stoves in India through "a market-based approach with private sector participation, focusing on availability, affordability, accessibility and accountability" says a report by IANS published in The Times of India which draws attention to indoor air pollution being a killer almost on par with AIDS.

According to the report, "Stove fumes as big a killer as AIDS", Shell Foundation is collaborating with stove manufacturers and microfinance institutions in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to promote the improved kitchen stoves.

"Given that firewood will continue to be used in most rural households, it is now largely accepted that the most effective way to reduce smoke is through improved stoves," the report quotes Anuradha Bhavnani, regional director of Shell Foundation.

"This is why building better stoves and finding a way to persuade the poor to use them has become a priority," she added.

Over the past one year, the Foundation has tested several strategies in collaboration with the Anganwadi workers, stove manufacturers and microfinance institutions.

The report also notes the efforts of the Global Alliance on Clean Cookstoves. Simon Bishop, Head of the Room to Breathe initiative of the Shell Foundation says that the fund being raised by the alliance will address key issues in propagating the use of clean cookstoves. Says Bishop, "To create a global market for clean cookstoves, there needs to be direct support for the stoves market, indirect research on health, climate change, materials and other areas, and a general increase in awareness and knowledge about the issue and the sector."

Read the Full Story: Stove fumes as big a killer as AIDS

Indian Annual IAP Deaths Between 4,00,000 To 6,00,000

Indian Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad has in a written reply to a question raised in Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament) said that about 4,00,000 to 6,00,000 premature deaths can be attributed annually to use of biomass fuel in Indian population as per WHO Report (Kirk R. Smith : National burden of disease in India from indoor air pollution, 2000; WHO 2007).

According to the statement, "based on extrapolation of health effects in developed countries due to indoor air pollution, WHO has estimated that about 2.8 million premature deaths are due to indoor air pollution and highest number of deaths will occur in India."

"Ministry of Environment & Forests have introduced the new national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) in 2009 for the extended list of 12 pollutants which are more closely related to health"

The reply further states that "the Government though the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has taken various steps to control and prevent indoor air pollution, through National Programme on Biogas Development to provide alternatives to burning firewood, agricultural residues, cattle dung and coal as fuel. National Programme on Improved Chulhas has been taken up to promote thermally efficient and low smoke stoves/smokeless chulhas. IEC activities through electronic and print media are undertaken to give publicity to the programmes. Women Education programmes are also organised in villages to generate awareness about the hazards of burning firewood, agricultural wastes, cattle dung in traditional chulhas and benefits of the biogas technology etc"