by Meenakshi Kapoor & Christian Liedtke
Kalavati Devi is 46 years old. She lives with her husband, two sons and a daughter in Village Chachrait of Pitthoragarh district in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand in India. One of her sons and the daughter go to a government school in the area. Her elder son works as a daily wage labourer. Her husband, Kesar Singh sings in religious ceremonies and temples on festivals and special occasions. He gets small sums of money as token of appreciation. Besides, the family owns a small patch of land, the produce from which is largely consumed by the family itself. Summing up all this, the family income of the household is Rs. 3000 a month.
Kalavati Devi lives in a small house of two rooms and a
separate kitchen cum pantry (for storing grains and other eatables for the
family). She cooks food in a traditional manner on the fire and a tripod stand burning
wood. She cooks three meals a day and spends an average of one hour in cooking
one meal.
Kalavati Devi is 46 years old. She lives with her husband, two sons and a daughter in Village Chachrait of Pitthoragarh district in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand in India. One of her sons and the daughter go to a government school in the area. Her elder son works as a daily wage labourer. Her husband, Kesar Singh sings in religious ceremonies and temples on festivals and special occasions. He gets small sums of money as token of appreciation. Besides, the family owns a small patch of land, the produce from which is largely consumed by the family itself. Summing up all this, the family income of the household is Rs. 3000 a month.
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| Kalavati Devi cooking in her kitchen |
Of late, she has been facing respiratory problems and
difficulty in breathing. On consulting the doctor in the local Government
Hospital, she found out that it was because of the smoke created by the burning
of wood in the stove. Although the
consultation is free, she spends an average of Rs. 100 a month on her medicines
and traveling to the hospital (There is no road connectivity to the village and
the hospital is accessible only on foot or by means of animal led carts). She says, “I educate one of my children with
Rs. 120 a month and spending almost the same amount on myself pinches me.”
Although, she always found the smoke disturbing, she never
considered it as a major problem till she consulted the doctor. In her words: “I used to get a burning
sensation in my eyes and used to cough because of the smoke but I never took it
seriously. Besides, I cannot do anything
about it. If I am cooking with firewood, smoke will be there.” It seems that
she has accepted smoke as an unavoidable condition associated with cooking.
She believes that food can be cooked without smoke only on
kerosene or a LPG stove. When asked about the reason for not using one, she
replied: “We cannot afford LPG or kerosene as they are very costly, whereas
firewood is free. My husband collects it from the forest. It is lesser of a
burden for my husband to spend Rs. 100 a month for my medical treatment as
compared to the cost of using kerosene or LPG for cooking.” Hence, she feels that with her limited
resources she has no way of escaping the smoke associated with cooking. “I will
have to live with the cooking smoke. With our monthly income, I do not see a
way out. I hope my son earns better in future and can afford LPG.”
On asking about improved cookstove, she says: “What is an
improved cookstove? I have never heard of it. Will the food cook faster on it?”
There are similar stories to be heard from hundreds of
households located in small hamlets and villages in the state of Uttarakhand in
India. Their proximal location to the forests and free availability of firewood
makes it a preferred fuel over LPG and kerosene. In such a scenario, use of
improved cookstoves can prove extremely beneficial.
Improved coosktoves are based on technologies that burn biomass
fuels efficiently and in a clean manner. They reduce the consumption of fuels
considerably and thereby reduce the time spent on collection of these fuels and
associated labour. They also emit very little smoke as compared to the
traditional stoves or open fire and, therefore, have positive health impacts.
GIZ, under the IGEN-RE project, is supporting the market development for improved cookstoves in
Uttarakhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh in India. It is expected that the use of improved cookstoves will help in reducing the instances of smoke related health hazards amongst women. Coupled with the reduction of cooking time and fuel requirement, improved cookstoves will make the lives of Kalavati Devi and many such women more convenient.
Uttarakhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh in India. It is expected that the use of improved cookstoves will help in reducing the instances of smoke related health hazards amongst women. Coupled with the reduction of cooking time and fuel requirement, improved cookstoves will make the lives of Kalavati Devi and many such women more convenient.
