‘Bondhu Chula’ for healthy living
Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) has innovated an environmentally friendly stove, Bondhu Chula (Friend Stove), that releases no smoke in and out of the kitchen.
Bangladesh Bondhu Foundation (BBF), a Bangladeshi organisation, is delivering the stove from door to door with the help of the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), according to a release.
The stove is connected to a long pipe for the smoke produced to be passed in the air outside in such a way that anyone in or outside the kitchen would not be affected by the smoke. In the rural areas where women often have their children with them when they are cooking, so the smoke coming from common earthen stoves cause problem for both the mothers and the children. This could be avoided by using ‘Bondhu Chula’, the release read.
Moreover, no heat would be felt in the kitchen by using this new stove. Also, the stove is fuel efficient and would require 40 percent less firewood for cooking, according to the release.
According to a fact sheet published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in February 2016, indoor air pollution is one of the main causes of pneumonia among children. Besides, 34 percent of strokes, 26 percent of heart diseases, 22 percent of asthma, and 6 percent lung disease are also suspected to be caused by indoor air pollution, which is mainly due to the use of ordinary stoves which produce much smoke.
Around 90 percent families in Bangladesh are using ordinary stoves for cooking, knows from GIZ and BBF sources. The smoke produced from such large number of common stoves lead to 50 thousand premature deaths every year and 2.5 million cases of people suffering from asthma. Also around 60 million tons of firewood is used as fuel in these common stoves every year, leading to extensive forest logging.
‘Bondhu Chula’ will help the people to come out of this scenario and lead a better and healthy living. Besides, since this stove would not cause any smoke inside the kitchen, there would not be any stains from the smoke on the kitchen walls, doors and windows.
Many countries besides Bangladesh, such as Peru, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya are promoting use of environmentally friendly stoves of similar kind. Even neighbouring countries -- India and China -- are using these stoves. The stoves are applicable for use in households, large restaurants, community centres, and small factories. Currently, more than 5,000 entrepreneurs are involved in the Bondhu Chula Programme, who are setting up this enviornmentally friendly stove at a cost of Tk 1,200 across the country. Nearly two million stoves have been sold in the country so far.
The BBF has set the goal of reaching this environmentally friendly stove to 30 million families in the country by the 50-year anniversary of the country’s independence in 2021.
Anyone interested in using ‘Bondhu Chula’ is requested to contact this number- 01833104100.
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