5.5 The Predicament of Biomass-Based Fuel
173
5.5 The Predicament of Biomass-Based Fuel
It is difficult to comprehend why biomass-based fuels have never been included
in commercial category despite the fact that fuelwood, charcoal, and animal dung
were/are sold at a decent price in villages are sub-urban areas and collection of
firewood is a well-organized activity in and around forest areas. Fuelwood removal
is a case of double-whammy—one, it slows down the process of carbon sequestration
(and oxygen release), degrades the forest ecosystem, and reduces carbon content in
the soil; and two, affects the health, income, and lifespan of women and children who
are directly exposed to the smoke on regular basis. Both integrity of forests and dignity
of humans are compromised, and country is subjected to ridicule in international
forums and deliberations. The exact assessment regarding use of biomass-based fuel
may be lacking but the following statements are a pointer to the grim reality that
India has to live with.
• Tenth five-year plan, while quoting
15 NSS 55th round data (1999–2000) mentions
that 86% of the rural and 20% urban households used firewood and chips or dung
cake for cooking food. Besides using non-commercial fuel, rural and urban households also used LPG (5% rural and 44% urban) and kerosene (2.7% rural and
22% urban) as commercial fuels. Other primary source of cooking energy used
by urban and rural household included coke and charcoal, biogas, and electricity.
It is a known fact that use of traditional fuels for cooking inflicts heavy burden on
women and children with increased risk of respiratory and eye infections. Lack
of adequate energy supplies affect women’s ability to use micro-enterprises profitably and sustainably. The NSSO survey estimated that in rural North India alone
30 billion hours were spent annually in gathering fuelwood and other traditional
fuels. The economic burden of traditional biomass-based fuels, time to gather
fuels, time lost in sickness, and cost of medicines was estimated to be around INR
300 billion.
• Twelfth five-year plan document acknowledged that per capita consumption of
LPG in rural areas was 0.3 kilogram per month as compared to 1.8 kilogram in
urban areas. This statement has two aspects. Either family size in rural India is
smaller with much less requirement of fuel for cooking or people in rural areas use
something else also in addition to using LPG. The latter appears more convincing
to a common man who is aware of the fact that rural masses continue to use wood,
agriculture, and animal waste for household needs.
15 (Source NSS, “55th Round.” 2001).
173
5.5 The Predicament of Biomass-Based Fuel
It is difficult to comprehend why biomass-based fuels have never been included
in commercial category despite the fact that fuelwood, charcoal, and animal dung
were/are sold at a decent price in villages are sub-urban areas and collection of
firewood is a well-organized activity in and around forest areas. Fuelwood removal
is a case of double-whammy—one, it slows down the process of carbon sequestration
(and oxygen release), degrades the forest ecosystem, and reduces carbon content in
the soil; and two, affects the health, income, and lifespan of women and children who
are directly exposed to the smoke on regular basis. Both integrity of forests and dignity
of humans are compromised, and country is subjected to ridicule in international
forums and deliberations. The exact assessment regarding use of biomass-based fuel
may be lacking but the following statements are a pointer to the grim reality that
India has to live with.
• Tenth five-year plan, while quoting
15 NSS 55th round data (1999–2000) mentions
that 86% of the rural and 20% urban households used firewood and chips or dung
cake for cooking food. Besides using non-commercial fuel, rural and urban households also used LPG (5% rural and 44% urban) and kerosene (2.7% rural and
22% urban) as commercial fuels. Other primary source of cooking energy used
by urban and rural household included coke and charcoal, biogas, and electricity.
It is a known fact that use of traditional fuels for cooking inflicts heavy burden on
women and children with increased risk of respiratory and eye infections. Lack
of adequate energy supplies affect women’s ability to use micro-enterprises profitably and sustainably. The NSSO survey estimated that in rural North India alone
30 billion hours were spent annually in gathering fuelwood and other traditional
fuels. The economic burden of traditional biomass-based fuels, time to gather
fuels, time lost in sickness, and cost of medicines was estimated to be around INR
300 billion.
• Twelfth five-year plan document acknowledged that per capita consumption of
LPG in rural areas was 0.3 kilogram per month as compared to 1.8 kilogram in
urban areas. This statement has two aspects. Either family size in rural India is
smaller with much less requirement of fuel for cooking or people in rural areas use
something else also in addition to using LPG. The latter appears more convincing
to a common man who is aware of the fact that rural masses continue to use wood,
agriculture, and animal waste for household needs.
15 (Source NSS, “55th Round.” 2001).