Easy to access, available at low cost and reduces indoor smoke – so why not adopt the new generation low smoke chulas (stove).

90 kitchens of Jubo Panchayat of Gajapathi, Odisha has adopted this new modular low smoke chulas to get rid of harmful smoke from their kitchen.

Indian rural household kitchens largely use traditional mud stoves which emit huge smoke causing risk of cancer and other lung-related diseases. It was observed that just a day’s exposure to smoke from traditional stoves can lead to accumulation of a carcinogenic compound Benzopyrene, which is equivalent to 14 days of cigarette smoking.
Caritas India has supported the community of 4 villages of Jubo panchayat of Gajapathi, Odisha with the help of her local partner i.e. SWAD, Berhampur, towards introducing technical low smoke chulha for the community where women spend most of their time to cook meals for the day.

With an objective to provide healthy environment and improved standard of living for tribal women and their families, the project created awareness and trained selected women from the village on low smoke chulas. Mr. Joseph TD, an expert in the rural appropriate technology promotion & renewable energy informed the community that approximately 1800 tons per annum fire wood can be saved by the families who used this stove.

The concept of ‘healthy palace of living’ and additional motivational sessions with the community made them change their mind and willingly adapting to the healthy practice of new smokeless chulhas.

Smoke free kitchen, use of less firewood with faster cooking were some of the benefits for the community which attracted their interest. The skill and the knowledge of constructing a healthy kitchen was the major outcome of the initiative, which provided sustainability and bringing safe, clean and healthy kitchens in the villages and nearby panchayats.

The inputs on the Government schemes available for the people was another assets for them to demand for their needs and rights. The people are already planning to approach government officials for the spread of the low smoke chulas in the nearby villages under the “Swatch Bharath Mission”.

Strategically the project brought drastic changes as a result in the mind-set of the people of the Jubo village community. Women are aware and empowered with the new skills they gained. This all opened a new avenue for additional income generation opportunity for the women. Village people are aware of the “Silent Killer” in the kitchen and learned the importance of protecting their health and live in a clean and healthy environment. The project was able to address the critical health problems of 100 household and indirectly benefitted 700 people in the region. Additional 150 households under Jubo Panchayat expressed their willingness to adopt this technical chulas in their houses.

Canossian Sister of SWAD, Berhampur played a major role in the grassroot level under the timely guidance from Caritas India. The project addressed the issue successfully for Better Burning, Better Breathing for improving health with cleaner kitchen and fuel efficient low smoke chulha for the tribal people.