Indoor air pollution is a chronic
problem in rural remote areas of developing countries. Most people who depend
on traditional biomass dwell in the countryside where both agricultural
residues and wood are readily available.
In city areas the outdoor
pollution through air has become a major carrier of deadly diseases. This is
the same case in rural area however it’s the exact opposite case. People living
urban areas suffer from the constant pollution created form vehicles and industries
and people from indoor pollution caused by burning solid fuels. Do you know
that 1.6 million people living in developing regions die due to health problems
caused from burning solid fuels?
This is a simple fact not many
people know about. Around 3 billion people still use wood and crop waste as
fuel for cooking and heating purpose. Most of the people using these solid
fuels are from sub-Saharan Africa and developing Asia. Having no other option
than using the available solid fuel makes the vulnerable to some of the most
dangerous health problems.
Among 1.6 million people who are
victim of indoor pollution most of them are women and children. They get more
affected because they have to spend almost four to eight hours a day in kitchen
preparing food along with children. Acute lower respiratory infection, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary tuberculosis, lung cancer, asthma and
some are the major health problems that are found due to the exposure to indoor smoke.
Indoor smoke becomes harmful to
people because they release black carbon and methane along with pollutant
particles which enters to our lungs through nostrils which remains and becomes
the cause of problems. Indoor pollution is a big issue and billions of
population can’t be provided with clean fuel source so, Practical Answers
provides its ideas of using improvised stoves and construction of smoke
chimneys which will lessen the smoke inside house.
Indoor smoke are produce through
biomass burning and poor people cannot afford using other fuel source so,
making the information available to them to reduce its effects can be more
helpful and save thousands of people’s lives.
