Electric cooking stoves replacing traditional cooking stoves among CFUG members in Kaski

Gandaki: Anita Shrestha of Deurali at Rupa rural municipality-5 in Kaski district is one among the 242 community forest user group (CFUG) members who have transitioned from traditional cooking stoves to electric ones.

The shift is attributed to the efforts of the Thuloban Community Forestry User Group in the locality of Shrestha. The 62-year-old happily shared that she was initially very scared to use an electric stove.

‘There is no danger, there is no smoke and dust and the food also cooks quickly,’ gushed Shrestha. One who had been using firewood and LPG cylinder gas for cooking and was hesitant to use the modern stove, Shrestha now confidently and enthusiastically uses the electric stove after she learned how to use it from her daughter-in-law.

Similarly, it’s been a month since another consumer Babulal Shrestha installed the electric cooking stove. He finds it both convenient and safe. ‘There are two members in the family. We cook rice in a rice cooker while other food items are prepared in an electric cooking stove,’ he explained.

As he is new to using an electric cooking stove, he is unaware of the electricity the stove consumes and the associated costs. However, he is making up his mind to gradually replace the traditional LGP gas cylinder with the electric stove if it turns out to be convenient and economical.

The Thuloban Community Forestry User Group joined hands with the Ajambari Bikas Foundation and Bikas Yatra to distribute electric cooking stoves to its members in subsidy provided by the latter two organizations, shared Ishwor Shrestha, Chairperson of the Thuloban Community Forestry User Group.

An electric cooking stove costs Rs 4,800 per unit. There are 280 households associated with the Group among them 242 households have benefitted from this project, according to Shrestha. He said that a programme is in place to distribute such stoves to every remaining member.

The income generated from the community forest’s resources was used for procuring and distributing fuel-efficient and smoke-free electric stoves. The beneficiaries, however, must purchase pots and pans suitable to use in such stoves before getting the electric cooking stoves for free of cost, added Shrestha. The community forest spans 322 hectares.

Rajendra Ghimire, Chief of Ajambari Bikas Foundation and Bikas Yatra Programme, said that such stoves were distributed to make consumers’ kitchens clean and energy-efficient. The use of such stoves, he believed, would aid in reducing air pollution thereby contributing to reducing carbon emissions.

The plan is afoot to distribute such stoves to over 30,000 households across Bagmati, Gandaki and Koshi Province, he divulged, adding that over 600 households have received the stove so far. Buddi Bahadur Ghimire, a member of the Thuloban Community Forestry User Group emphasized increasing the use of electric cooking stoves in the wake of Nepal becoming able in electricity production.

He argued that the use of such appliances had economic advantages for the users and would support in reducing risks of human casualties. He viewed that community forestry user groups should promote the expansion of environment-friendly and cost-effective modes of cooking prioritizing their members who are currently using traditional cooking stoves.