On Clean Cooking

Firewood is the oldest fuel to cook food in human history. When fire was invented, it was preserved through the firewood in the form of logs and branches of trees. For many millennia, wood served as the only fuel to cook food and heat the body during the period of freezing cold. Once a symbol of civilisation, term ‘fuelwood’ no more carries positive connotation as the people began to use advanced and efficient fuel such as kerosene, LPG gas and electricity to cook food.

Multiple researches and practical experiences have shown that the burning of firewood generates polluting emissions that are detrimental to human health. Smoke coming from the fuelwood causes various health complications such as respiratory and heart diseases, lung cancer and eye irritation, among others. Despite the fact that fuelwood harms public health and environment, it has been still a main source of cooking energy in the rural households. 

Three factors - accessibility, affordability and acceptability – have led to the widespread use of fuelwood in the Nepali society. Moreover, it is poverty, ignorance and inaccessible geography that have impelled the village folks to use traditional biomass that includes firewood, crop residues and animal dungs for cooking and other purposes. According to news report published in this daily on Sunday, around 54 per cent of Nepalis use traditional biomass, while 44 per cent go for LPG as their primary cooking energy. These data show that majority of Nepalis have no access to efficient energy to cook their food and use for other purposes. This is also an indication that poverty is still deeply entrenched in the rural heartlands despite the official reports that poverty cases have declined drastically in the country.

Experts state that incineration of firewood releases harmful pollutants such as black carbon and nitrogen oxides (NOx) into the air, causing indoor air pollution (IAP).  Those exposed to IAP inhale pollutants that can enter deep into the lungs, causing respiratory problems, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular problems, and an increased risk of lungs diseases. It does not only impact human health but also the outer atmosphere. Black carbon absorbs sunlight, making the atmosphere hotter. As a result, it causes global warming and affects the ecosystem. In Nepali households, women and children, who are primarily responsible for cooking, suffer from IAP the most. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that over 3.2 million people, including 237,000 children under the age of five died of IAP globally in 2020. IAP is the fourth leading cause of illnesses and fatalities in developing countries. Around 2.4 billion people depend on kerosene, biomass and coal for cooking purposes.

In order to minimise the health risks caused by the traditional biomass fuel use, it is necessary to focus on clean energy. The community should be encouraged to use improved stoves, LPG and electric cooking. Nepal government has promoted electric energy as an alternative source of energy for clean cooking. Its Second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2020 has stressed using renewable energy sources. The NDC seeks to supply 15 per cent of the total energy from renewable energy sources by 2030. Likewise, it has the target to make 25 per cent of households use electric stoves by 2025, install 500,000 improved cooking stoves by 2025, and implement an additional 200,000 household biogas plants and 500 large-scale biogas plants by 2025. These goals seem ambitious but not impossible given the strong commitment from the political and bureaucratic leaderships.