A Comparison of the Stove Emission Levels in Rural Households

ABSTRACT:

Improved stoves are the most popular intervention. They reduce exposure to harmful pollutants by improving combustion efficiency and/or introducing chimneys, and, in some cases, reducing cooking times. Studies have shown that children living in houses using improved stoves are 2.6 times less likely to suffer from ARI than those living in homes using traditional stoves.

But despite large-scale stove dissemination projects, improved stoves are not used by many of those in greatest need, especially in India. Research mainly focuses on the issues surrounding the distribution of stoves, and relatively little has been published on the users perceptions of stoves after implementation.

In Maharashtra state in India, an NGO, Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI) has been disseminating various models of improved stoves since 1996.In this study an attempt has been made to study and compare the carbon monoxide (CO) and Particulate (PM2.5) emission levels in households who have been using various models of improved cookstoves for at least one year.The stoves selected for the study are Bhagyalaxmi, New Laxmi, metal portable CPRI stove, Saral , Sampoorna and the portable Oorja stove developed by British Petroleum.This qualitative and quantitative study explores the constraints influencing the utilization of improved stoves in a rural community in Maharashtra, India, from the perspective of the women with the potential to use the improved stoves.