Impact of Improved Cooking Stove on Rural Women: A Case Study of Jiwanpure VDC Dhading District of Nepal.

Abstract

Improved cook stove (ICS) is a device that is designed to consume less fuel and save cooking time, convenient in cooking process and creates smokeless environment in the kitchen or reduction in the volume of smoke produced during cooking against the traditional stove. The direct and indirect benefits of ICS includes: increased thermal efficiency, the conservation of forests by cutback in firewood consumption, reduction in women’s labour, reduction in indoor air pollution and hence smoke-released health disorders, prevention of fire hazards, reduction of cooking time. The present study was conducted in Dhading District with specially focus to Jiwanpur VDC. The main objective of the study was to acees the present situation of ICS in Dhading district , to analyze the potentiality of improved cooking stove in Dhading District and find out problems and challenges of Improved cooking stove in Jiwanpur VDC. For this study descriptive and analytical research design have been adopted to obtain necessary information . In Nepal, biomass energy: fuelwood, agri-residue and animal dung is used for cooking and heating purposes. Use of traditional stoves such as "agenu" (open fireplace) and "chulo" (rudimentary stoves) consumes more fuel wood and increases the burden on women. Women are mainly responsible for cooking and collection of biomass, mainly fuelwood from the forest. Use of biomass energy and low-grade biomass fuels lead to excessive levels of indoor smoke/air pollution. Women and children in particular are exposed to the smoke emission. This is one of the reasons for higher rates of infant mortality and morbidity and other unhealthy living conditions. Release of incomplete monoxide and other harmful particles in the atmosphere due to poor combustion of biomass fuels in rudimentary stoves results in the emission of Green House Gas (GHG). More than 80% of the energy needs are met by fuelwood thus exerting immense pressure on the forest resources of the country with negative impacts on environment. The National ICS Program: Within the framework of the 9th plan, the National ICS program has been initiated in Nepal from early 1999 with the support from Energy Sector Assistance Program (ESAP) of DANIDA and Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC) of the HMG/N. Many district level NGOs and CBOs like the Centre fir Rural technlogy (CRT/N) implement this programme. The study discovers that most of the peoples of Jiwanpur VDC are not using Improved cooking stove. They are using firewood in the huge amount which is causing rapid deforestation in the study area. So there must be some awareness program in the study area to use the improved cooking stove. There should be different encouraging programs in the study area to use the improved cooking stove. Information collected from questionnaire was transformed into a master sheet and raw were tabulated on the basis of different groups. To analyze the data different tools has been used . It was concluded that the lower caste people are using ICS in more number than of the higher class people and ICS is more cheaper than of the other equipment llike as LPG gas, TCS etc. Most of the people of jiwanpur VDC are using ICS and INGO’s has been helping this VDC for using ICS. In the study area most of the people are satisfied using ICS