What Clean Fuel Use in Every Household Means For Women Empowerment
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By Vandana Tyagi, Dr Ajay Singh Nagpure, Bhavay Sharma, Anandi Mishra
In 2019, about three lakh women died prematurely from diseases attributable to household air pollution from the use of polluting cooking fuels in India. Though women and children are more exposed to household air pollution, it is not limited to them. An average Indian citizen spends 80% time indoors. The use of polluting fuels, i.e., firewood, cow dung, and crop residues, not only contributes to indoor air pollution but also accounts for 17-30% of India’s ambient air pollution. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi’s study claims India can achieve National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) standard for PM2.5 by only replacing all polluting cooking fuels with clean cooking fuels. Thus, reducing the use of solid fuels for cooking will reduce indoor and ambient air pollution while providing several other co-benefits such as ener