Stoves used for cooking, water heating and space heating at high altitude in Nepal - a case study in Jumla

K M Sulpya, Research Center for Applied Science and Technology, (RECAST), Trithuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Traditionally, agenu (open fire with an iron tripod) and chulo (closed mod/stone stove without chimney) stoves have been used for cooking and heating purposes in Nepal. The kitchen is normally a small room which is usually not well ventilated to prevent heat loss so the chulo or agenu generally makes the kitchen warm. In winter months besides cooking, space heating is considered a must and the fire is often kept burning round the clock.

The chimney wood-stoves now being introduced in Jumla by the Centre for Self-help Development (CSD) are gaining some popularity. They are used for cooking as well as heating purposes and they appear to be more beneficial and useful than the traditional open fire. The diversity in the types of stove introduced in Jumla is quite remarkable. The technologies used are

· open fire (Figure 1)
· semi-closed stoves (Figure 2)
· closed stoves with chimney and water heating system (Figure 3)

The materials used for stove construction are cast iron and metal sheet. The stoves have two or three pot holes of different sizes and are rectangular in shape and usually without a baffle.

Mild steel sheet stoves are constructed by skilled persons and are good examples of locally produced innovative technology. Cast iron and mild steel stoves are constructed in workshops either in Jumla or in Kathmandu; but they are expensive, influenced by externally introduced technology and have been known to crack over time.

A - DCS stoves with two and three pot holes (dimension in cm)

B - DCS stoves with two and three pot holes (dimension in cm)

Social effects of improved stoves

The improved stoves have created a number of lifestyle changes. The stoves radiate heat to the surroundings and warm the entire room inducing people to sleep around the stove during colder months. People perceive the benefits of reduced smoke inhalation due to the chimney.

In Karnali Trade School the chimney passes through other rooms to provide heat (see Figure 3). in houses that have not installed a metal stove with a chimney, the room is heated directly by a wood-buming open fire.

Programme Set Up and Stove Dissemination

The stove programme was initiated, set up and funded by the United Mission to Nepal and later by the Centre for Self-help Development (CSD). Development Consultancy Services (DCS) is a private company and is run with support from the United Mission to Nepal (UMN). it operates its branch in Jumla mainly in micro-hydro and other support to Kamali Technical School.

DCS started manufacturing cast iron and metal stoves which are more durable and expensive than the original blacksmiths' stoves which were available at that time. The steel sheet was 18 mm thick and the top plate, made of cast iron, was 1 cm thick.

For mass-scale dissemination, having motivated the potential users, CSD provided a 75 per cent subsidy towards the cost of the stove. Prior to dissemination, 25 per cent of the cost was collected from stove users and deposited with the DCS. After two years, because of high demand, and for sustainability of dissemination, the subsidy was reduced to 50 per cent. However, demand for stoves dropped and in 1996, the subsidy was increased to 62 per cent and demand for the stove improved. Stoves made by local blacksmiths were also subsidies in the project areas only. Direct sale of the stoves by the manufacturers did not attract a subsidy.

Cost of the Stove and Affordability

During 1992 to 1995, CSD promoted 366 metal DCS stoves. The cost of the stove to the CSD and to users is given in Table 1.

The cost of the stove is high because of the air freight which is Rs. 40 per kilogram from Nepaljung to Jumla. DCS managed to reduce it to Rs. 23 per kilogram after a special agreement with Nepal Airways. The cost has also increased because of the cast iron plate which costs Rs. 1500.

A local blacksmith has been producing metal stoves since 1989 and has already sold more than 400 stoves for the Small Fammers Development Project (SFDP), CSD, and to local people of Khalanga Bazaar. This type of stove is made from 22mm steel sheet. The cost of the these stoves is given in table 2.

Table 1: Stove costs by stove type and year (DCS model)

*40 Rs= 1US$

Table 2: Stove cost by stove type and year (Blacksmith's model)

*40 Rs= 1US$

Blacksmith stoves with two and three pot holes (dimension in cm)

Blacksmith stoves with two and three pot holes (dimension in cm

Durability of Stove

The metal stoves with a cast iron top plate were found to be durable; even after 4 years, no cracks have developed. According to the manufacturer, the stoves can last for 10 years during normal use. Other parts, like the chimney and stove body, may last for 5 years depending upon the thickness of the sheet metal used. The Blacksmith's model did not last as long. After 23 years the chimney started tearing off and the top plate sank giving the pot holes an uneven shape; this was caused by the use of thin mild plate.

Stove operation and maintenance

Most cooks do not attend to the fire carefully and lose lots of fire outside the wood-feeding gate (see Figure 1). it is also observed that they do not control the draught or the rate of combustion. In contrast, in the Khalanga Bazaar of Jumla, where fuelwood is scarce and expensive, users attend to the fire carefully and control the power of the stove. Most people in the Bazaar use pressure cookers, especially for beans and meat.

Stove Efficiency

Water boiling and cooking tests were carried out by a cook in field conditions. Table 3 shows the efficiency of the stoves as well as the cooking test results.

The results show that stoves with two pot holes are not only more efficient than open fires but they are also more efficient than stoves with three pot holes. However, the DCS stove with three pot holes consumed more fuel than the open fire.

Benefits

The metal stoves introduced by CSD do not have significant fuel saving and, in some cases, they use more fuelwood than the traditional stoves. In Jumla, the chimney improved the kitchen environment by making it more smoke free, and increased space heating around the kitchen. The water heating system also helped to produce warm water.

Cooking tests show that metal stoves cook faster than the open fire. In metal stoves, 2 to 3 pot holes can be used at a time. Women also perceived that the metal stove cooks faster.

From the discussions and interviews with both women and men, it was found that the metal stoves with chimneys provided health benefits is and reduced headaches, eye and respiratory infections etc.

Table 3: Cook testing results for stove tested

People's Attitude Towards the Stove

In Jumla people consider the metal stove with a chimney a necessity, because the stove removes smoke from the kitchen and provides heat to the surroundings. In most cases, it was women who took the initiative to acquire the stove. Out of 64 households, 57 have installed the stoves. Those remaining 7 households are very poor and some have no male adult in their family. Out of 57 households, 4 own more than one stove and are keeping it for their children.

Users of the metal stove said they felt better and more comfortable using the stoves because they cook faster, provide space heating during winter months, they are convenient, smokeless and pose fewer fire hazards, etc. They also felt that the DCS model was expensive but more durable than the Blacksmith model but they did not experience the fuel saving they had expected with the DCS model; nevertheless, they are satisfied.

Conclusion

Forests in the mountainous areas have been an open access resource and wood energy pricing in most areas is lacking. Switching to petroleum based energy may result in less pressure on the supply of the fuelwood but it has to be imported. Thus, from the perspective of sustainable development, for cooking and heating at high altitudes, fuelwood conservation is the only option left in the rural areas.

Research and development activities on high altitude stoves are almost non-existent. Prototypes were introduced without proper investigation. Monitoring and feedback information is still lacking. Financial institutions set up for stoves programmes and promotional institutions for enhancing private sector participation are also lacking. Thus, due consideration should be given to this matter with a view to strengthening research, development, promotion and extension of high altitude stoves.