5.5 The Predicament of Biomass-Based Fuel
179
FUEL WOOD (MILLION
TONS), 170.8
REPLACEMENT BY
COAL (MILLION
TONS), 119.56
REPLACEMENT BY
CROP WASTE
(MILLION TONS),
261.324
REPLACEMENT BY
DRIED DUNG
(MILLION TONS),
401.38
Fig. 5.25 Scenario 2 (854 million use fuelwood for 200 days a year). Ref—India submission on
Forest reference levels for REDD+
FUEL WOOD (MILLION
TONS), 256.2
REPLACEMENT BY
COAL (MILLION
TONS), 179.34
REPLACEMENT BY
CROP WASTE
(MILLION TONS),
391.986
REPLACEMENT BY
DRIED DUNG
(MILLION TONS),
602.07
Fig. 5.26 Scenario 3 (854 million use fuelwood for 300 days a year). Ref—India submission on
Forest reference levels for REDD+
important for all of us is to understand that use of biomass is extensive across India
and will continue for several decades if corrective measures are ignored. Not only
that, over the last several decades, the naturalness, authenticity, and integrity of our
natural forests has been compromised severely due to slow poisoning by fuelwood
collectors. Non-commercial energy sector has been ignored for seven decades both
from scientific and economic perspectives. It is difficult to comprehend as to why
economists have failed to assign monetary value to fuelwood, animal dung, and
agriculture waste. This approach has done incalculable harm to the country that is
several times the cost of LPG that has been found to be a viable substitute (Fig. 5.28).