A technique developed by one of state government’s forest officers during his PhD is being used by nearly four lakh households across the state to reduce the use of firewood and thus of carbon emission by nearly two tonnes.
The member secretary of Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board (MSBB), Dr Dilip Singh, developed an upgraded version of the locally available fuel-wood stove which has, within two years, reached four lakh households that had no access to cooking gas. The stove designed by Dr Singh, costs only '80.
While discussing the technique, Dr Singh said that he first demonstrated the modified stove in July 2014, at Ratnagiri. During the initial meeting, he demonstrated how to modify the existing wood stove by using metal grating plates generally used in construction works.
The 8X10 inches grating plate was installed at the base of the stove, leaving a free passage below it.
“The modification of the fuel-wood stove reduces the fuel wood consumption by 40 per cent, is what I had realised during my research. I also noticed that with this process, the amount of smoke generated while burning of the wood also reduced,” said Dr Singh. He further added, “Also, the flame turns to blue once the wood catches fire properly, providing more energy for cooking due to which the cooking period is reduced considerably.” The modified stove costs only '80 extra which is basically just the cost of the grill, said Dr Singh.
The demonstration received good response in Valoti village in Chiplun block at the house of a resident named Sachin Bamne. Several people who were present during the demonstration began to consider adopting the modified stove.
The MSBB also joined hands with a team of Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra, a local conservation group, which then began to spread the idea in Chiplun.
Dr Singh also said that after the pilot project, they had prepared an action plan to spread the idea in different parts of the state. The MSBB, keeping an eye on conservation of fuel wood to reduce impact on natural forests, gradually succeeded in reaching four lakh households, located across the state. This also includes adivasi areas in Thane, Ratnagiri, Gadchiroli, Vidarbha and Marathwada region and more.
“The collection of wood for fire is a sensitive subject and people are not ready to accept other fuels in which incentive mechanism is involved. According to them, the economics attached to such schemes is not useful in the long term. But the people seem to easily accept a minor modification in the design of the traditional wood stove. We have joined hands with NGOs and local activists to spread the word and ensure that every household that uses firewood is a part of the plan,” said Dr Singh.
