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Fuel options for household energy in Northwest Bengal, India
[top] [end]SettingThis article is the offshoot of an RWEDP/FAO sponsored case study entitled 'Forest and displaced people: fuelwood collection and trade as a first step survival strategy' undertaken by the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, India, in 1998-99. This study location, comprising three districts, is prone to the influx of a large number of people, who migrate under trauma and distress conditions, driven by the onslaught of natural and man-made catastrophes.Northwest Bengal is blessed with pristine, high forests covering around 24% of the geographical area. Fuelwood collection and its trade from the State forests act as a safely net in the first step survival strategy of these displaced people.
[top] [end]Household fuel scenario in Northwest BengalThe rural population in Northwest Bengal is almost totally dependent on fuelwood, while in the urban areas and a few rural households, fuelwood is supplemented with other sources of energy, namely: agricultural residues; kerosene; Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG); coal; and electricity. The monthly fuel usage of a typical urban household that uses a variety of energy options is shown in Table 1.Table 1: Monthly fuel requirements of a typical urban household in Northwest Bengal +in combination with other fuels (Source; Field Surveys)
[top] [end]Household fuel options[top] [end]FuelwoodFuelwood is the most important fuel in Northwest Bengal, and more than 70% of it is derived from the state forests. More than 0.7 million people in the area collect fuelwood for their own use and/or for sale. Of these, more than 30% are migrants for whom fuelwood collection and trade is also a major source of household income.A five-member household in the study area was found to use 11-13 kg of fuelwood per day. If this was supplemented with other fuels, it was reduced to 7-11 kg per day. Two major factors are responsible for wood being the favoured fuel in this area:
A study of the energy use patterns among various households revealed linkages between income and fuel choice (Table 2). Table 2: Choice of household energy supplies among households belonging to different income groups Source: Field Surveys
[top] [end]Agricultural residuesPaddy husk and straw, jute sticks, crop stumps and other agricultural residues are used extensively as alternative fuels in the area. Less than 30% of the total agricultural residues produced in the study area are used as cooking fuel; the rest is used as cattle feed and mulch.[top] [end]Animal dungThe cattle population of the district is around 1.76 million (Livestock Census 1984). And the annual yield of dung in North West Bengal can be estimated as approximately 5.3 million tonnes. However, acute fodder shortage in many parts of the study area is forcing the rural people to sell off their cattle, with resultant loss of production.[top] [end]BiogasBiogas is a cheap and environment-friendly source of energy that has a tremendous scope of promotion in the area as only 8% of people use it at present. Much superstition is attached to it as it is derived from animal waste.In two districts, the Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is extending biogas technology by providing loans and subsidies. The beneficiary is required to invest Rs.2500 - 3000 and to sign an agreement with the KVIC for ensuring loan repayment at a very high rate of interest (21 % per annum), which is one of the major reasons why even those willing to try out biogas are dissuaded.
The high rejection rate in its target areas are due to two main maintenance-related problems:
Both these problems require some initiative to be taken by both the extension agency and the beneficiaries. [top] [end]CoalBesides its use as a cooking fuel in individual households, coal is also used in the tea estates and in brick fields in the study area for tealeaf processing and brick burning. A few bakeries having improvised ovens use coal as a fuel. Frequent price fluctuations and poor distribution are responsible for the non-popularity of coal as a cooking fuel in the study area. There are very few retail coal outlets and coal depots and these are also not in operation throughout the year. It is not possible to load, unload or stack coal in any township area because of public resistance to the pollution created and dust generated during these operations.[top] [end]Petroleum productsKerosene and LPG are the two subsidized petroleum products used as a source of household energy in the study area. The consumption pattern of these products in the study area is shown in Table 3. The higher LPG and kerosene consumption in Darjeeling is because there is less fuel-wood available. The densely populated district of Cooch Bihar has many families which cannot afford to use LPG and diesel. Also, poor distribution and low levels of awareness about these alternative fuels result in abysmally low levels of consumption.Table 3: Consumption pattern of petroleum products in the study area Source: Indian Oil Limited Records
LPG: LPG is predominantly an urban fuel and its supply is limited to a few towns with populations over 50000. LPG, like coal and kerosene, commands a state subsidy for domestic use which amounts to Rs. 80/cylinder. On average, a 5-member household in the urban area pays Rs.170 for one small cylinder of LPG for cooking, which will last about 25 days. Hence, LPG emerges as a very cost-effective fuel. Kerosene: Kerosene is a popular commercial fuel with diverse applications. Its most common use in rural houses is for lighting, while it is used extensively as a cooking fuel in small commercial establishments like teashops and restaurants. In the electrified rural and urban areas, kerosene is the immediate alternative to LPG as a cooking fuel. Kerosene is distributed through Public Distribution Shops (PDS), where each domestic ration card holder is entitled to receive 200 ml of kerosene / week, at subsidized rates. This is not sufficient for meeting the household cooking fuel needs of a 5-member family. Apart from the rationed supply of kerosene, a parallel black market operates. [top] [end]DiscussionWhen the monthly energy expenditure of a five-member household showing complete dependence on a single type of fuel was worked out, fuelwood turned out to be the costliest option (Table 4), but this is when the fuelwood supply is not free.Table 4: Monthly household expenditure on cooking energy in case of complete dependence on a single type of fuel Source: Field Surveys
Enforcement of laws related to the fuelwood trade, in conjunction with a facilitated supply and access to alternative energy, are the only ways to persuade the local population to switch to ecologically, economically and environmentally friendlier energy options. Responses from households using a combination of fuels as well as those showing a strong preference for certain fuel types have been presented in Table 5. Table 5: Advantages and drawbacks associated with different types of fuels - the users' perspective Source: Field Surveys
[top] [end]Strategies for promoting alternative fuels[top] [end]LPG
[top] [end]Kerosene
[top] [end]Coal
The following set of recommendations can be provided to the problems associated with illegal fuelwood trade, and at the same time, to augment the fuelwood sources in the area [top] [end]Fuelwood
[top] [end]ConclusionThis micro-level study has validated some concerns about a looming energy crisis in Northwest Bengal. Availability of alternative fuels is an important factor; however, free and unrestrained supply of fuelwood directly from the forests is too strong an attraction for the local people. Illegal and extended fuelwood and tree removals are expected to lead to widespread soil erosion, with the ever-looming threat of landslides, loss of precious wildlife habitats, species extinction and an overall stress on the forest ecosystem. Added to this will be erosion of the aesthetic value of pristine North Bengal forests, including those on the hills of Darjeeling District where three T's - timber, tea and tourism are the major sources of revenue for the State exchequer.The efforts of the government in promoting fuel-efficient technology and alternative fuels have, to date, been grossly inadequate, although improved cooking stoves and tripods are being promoted by the Forest Department in Cooch Bihar. Finally, it is highly desirable that both forestry and energy sectors synergize their efforts for energy supply enhancement, so that more and greener fuel options become available to the people of North -West Bengal. [top] [end]Contents: Boiling Point 43: Fuel options for household energy
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Page created:
19 July 2007; Last edited:
21 August 2007; Version: 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pagename: FuelOptionsForHouseholdEnergyInNorthwestBengalIndia @HEDON: HXFA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
