Speaking at a stakeholders meeting in Dar es Salaam yesterday, E+Co manager Erick Wurster said the project is also meant to curb deforestation and improve air quality by manufacturing or importing charcoal and wood fuel efficient biomass stoves.
Mr Wurster explained that according to World Health Organisation (WHO), it is estimated that 27,000 deaths occur every year in Tanzania from firewood and charcoal stoves and destroying an average of 121,000 hectares of forests.
He said that air pollution from cooking with solid fuel on primitive stoves was a key risk factor in childhood acute respiratory infections such as pneumonia as well as many other respiratory, cardiovascular and ocular diseases.
He said the problem is set to amplify given that more than 95 per cent of Tanzania’s population relies on dangerous and inefficient cooking fuel.
Mr Wurster said that the new technology will include `Envirofit stoves’ and `Quality Jiko’ to be imported from China. Later, he said, Tanzanians would be trained on how to manufacture the stoves locally. He said after introduction of the stoves, the project will extend to water filtration systems, replacing the need to boil water using firewood.
He said his organisation decided to introduce the technology in Tanzania since non-renewable consumption of biomass for cooking and boiling water in the country, leads to deforestation and indoor air pollution which has significant public health and environmental implications.
He said the organisation aimed at empowering local small and medium enterprises to supply clean, modern and affordable energy for households and business use.
Source – The Citizen
No comments:
Post a Comment