08/14/2012
3 billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires and leaky stoves by burning wood and animal dung. Such cooking and heating produces high levels of indoor air pollution with a range of health-damaging pollutants, including small soot particles that penetrate deep into the lungs. 2 million people die every year from illnesses caused by the generated smoke. Inefficient cook stoves not only damage health, but mean that women and children spend hours every day collecting firewood. This degrades ecosystems and keeps children from going to school.
Watershed Management Group (watershedmg.org) and Grampari (grampari.org) have introduced a low cost improved cook stove that is easy to make in some local communities.
Stove design adapted from Recho Rocket.
Music: "Windswept" - Kevin MacLeod
Photo Credits (excluding degraded landscape shot): Aparna Shrivastava
