Nagpur: A survey conducted by Warrior Moms, a countrywide mothers’ network, and the Centre for Sustainable Development (CFSD) has found that 4 out of 10 households in the slums of urban Nagpur use chulhas for cooking and heating even though most of them have LPG connections.
The survey was conducted in 12 slum colonies of urban Nagpur and covered 1,500 households. It was found during the survey that 43 percent of these use both LPG and chulha while 57 percent of the respondents use only LPG. About 7 percent of the respondents said that they only use the chulha.
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Fri18 Oct. 2024
The survey further said that 81% women who use chulha experienced coughing compared to 23% respondents who use only LPG. Also, 65% respondents using chulha faced issues like eye irritation as compared to 18% who use only LPG.
Carried out in 1,500 households across 12 slum colonies, the survey also brought to the fore the poor awareness among people about schemes delivering access to clean cooking fuels, including the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). “Less than 3% respondents who had an LPG connection received it under PMUY while the remaining respondents, especially those that continue to use chulha, were unaware of this scheme. Many said that during winters, they buy cylinders from the black market in the absence of a legal connection,” the survey report stated.
Chulha is used more in winter:
According to the survey report, “Respondents who use chulha also collect firewood, which is the work of women and they spend four to five hours every week for this. At the same time, most of the families talked about more use of chulha during winter to meet the additional requirement of hot water.
Chulha is cheaper than LPG:
The survey also revealed that those who buy firewood for chulha spend between Rs 100-400 per month, which is much cheaper than the current monthly rate of around Rs 1,000 for an LPG cylinder refill.
Leena Buddhe, Founder-Director, CFSD, said, “This report should be taken as a wake-up call by the government and we hope that as part of the action plan to control air pollution in Nagpur, clean cooking fuel will be introduced. Shifting will be given priority and a proper budget will be allocated to deal with the issue.”
Suggestions given to the government on the basis of the study
On the basis of the study, the organizations have suggested the government provide subsidies for LPG and other options which will work for women and reduce the financial burden. Some of the cleaner alternatives, including smokeless chulhas and electric chulhas that run on solar panels, could be tested and expanded across the state, the recommendations said.
Stating that the findings are a wake-up call for the government, Founder-Director of CFSD Leena Buddhe said, “Our survey reveals that despite several schemes for providing cleaner fuels, women in slums still continue to inhale toxic smoke from chulhas, which puts their health at risk each single day. We hope that the action plan to control air pollution in Nagpur prioritises shifting to clean fuel for cooking and allocates appropriate budgets to tackle the issue.”
A large number of women residing in urban slums of Nagpur are facing severe health hazards while cooking and feeding their families in the absence of affordable clean fuel. The survey revealed that 43% households in the slums of urban Nagpur continue to use chulhas for cooking, despite most of them having LPG connections.
