Hyderabad: Addressing the health hazards caused through traditional stoves in rural areas, Envirofit International, a US-based company launched a range of biomass cook stoves here on Tuesday. The stoves were jointly developed by Envirofit International and Shell Foundation (UK).
With over 44 per cent of the rural population in Andhra Pradesh still depending on traditional stoves which cause indoor air pollution, these new cook stoves are developed to reduce toxic emissions.
In addition to addressing the cooking habits of rural Indian women, the stoves are manufactured based on research and testing from the Colorado State University. “There are about 500,000 deaths in India due to indoor air pollution. Through these stoves, we are providing women an opportunity to continue using biomass but in an environment that is less polluting and hazardous,” said Martha Kohlhagen, director of sales for Envirofit International.
Apart from A.P., the stoves were launched at Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. At present the stoves are available in two models and are priced at Rs. 700 and Rs. 1,495. Pilot tests for the stoves were carried out at Chitradurga and Dharmapuri and are certified under environmental testing conditions in USA. “They are designed to reduce consumption of fuel and cooking time by 50 per cent, hence helping buyers to cut down on costs and time,” adds Martha. The biomass stoves will be available at retail dealerships, NGO’s and village entrepreneurs and by end of 2010, they will be sold through out the country.
