The Himalayan Region: A Historical Perspective on Energy Policies, Environment, and Society (original) (raw)
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India ranks 10 th in the list of most forested nations in the world with 76.87 million ha of forest and tree cover. Like other forests of the world, our forests also provide critical ecosystem goods and services. However, the significant role of forests in carbon storage and sequestration has increased their importance manifold and brought them to the centre-stage of climate change mitigation strategies.
Small-scale Forestry
Fuelwood is important source of cooking energy in the majority of households of rural India. This paper discusses positive and negative externalities of fuelwood use including forest conservation and the health, welfare and environment for the forest-dependent tribal community of Jaunsar, based on survey data and visual observations from this remote area of the Lower Himalayas, India. Health issues due to fuelwood use are explored among tribal women using data collected from 50 randomly selected households spread in 13 randomly selected villages. The pattern of fuelwood use including hardships in terms of time spent and distance travelled for collection of cooking energy and the kitchen structures are also elaborated. The emission of four major pollution gases—CO, SOx, NOx and CO2—due to fuelwood burning in kitchens is found to be beyond acceptable air standards, causing various reported health problems. Policy implications arise concerning options of local people to utilize other energy options. It is argued that the adverse impacts should be tackled by framing household energy policy in totality, not limited to concern over the energy crisis but also considering associated implications including health and drudgery.
Non-timber forest products as a means of livelihood in Mon district, Nagaland, India
2021
1. Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Population using solid fuels. World Health Organisation, Geneva, 2013 (cited on 1 June 2018); https://apps.who.int/gho/data/view,main.1701?lang-en (accessed on 3 June 2021). 2. Energy uses in India: a case of electricity; https://www. researchgate.net/publication/331929537_Energy_Uses_in_India_A_ Case_of_Electricity (accessed on 26 May 2021). 3. Is the world on track to deliver energy access for all? World Bank, Washington, 2018 (cited on 27 April 2018); https://www. worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2018.05/18/sustainabledevelopmentgoal-7-energy-access-all (accessed on 2 June 2021). 4. Sagumaran, P. and Seshadri, S., Booklet on Biomass Charcoal Briquetting, Shri AMM Murugappa Chettiar Research Center, Chennai, India, 2014. 5. ASTM, Annual Book of ASTM Standards; Gaseous Fuels; Coal and Coke; Bioenergy and Industrial Chemicals from Biomass. Standard Test Method for Gross Calorific Value of Coal and Coke, 2013, vol. 5–6. 6. Kumar, S. G., Rao,...
Energy Policy, 2017
Energy supply from the biomass of indigenous tree species in agroforestry systems continues to be an area of great interest among researchers world over to generate fundamental data and innovative ideas for developing appropriate policies, guidelines and legislation. Among the land use systems, agroforestry is recognized as superior land management system having potential to deliver sustainable biomass and energy supply in rural landscape. Present study highlights a comparison of seasonal biomass consumption pattern in terms of fodder and fuelwood energy supply across different village clusters along an altitudinal gradient. The average fuelwood consumption ranged between 242 ± 22 to 373 ± 23 kg/capita/year and fodder consumption ranged between 154 ± 17 to 463 ± 14 kg/unit/year. However, the energy value of fuelwood and fodder consumption ranged between 2160 ± 242 to 7317 ± 234 MJ/kg. The study demonstrated that the fuelwood and fodder consumption was significantly greater (p < 0.05) in winter (lean period) as compared to that in summer and monsoon seasons. The results of this study are valuable to policy planners to improve the current policies for sustainable biomass energy supply in the Himalayan context through utilization of indigenous tree species in agroforestry systems.
Fuel wood is the primary source of energy in rural areas of the Himalaya. Lack of resources, extremely low temperature and xeric climatic conditions of the study region (Khoksar – 3200 m, Jahlma – 3000 m, Hinsa – 2700 m and Kuthar – 2600 m) of cold desert of the Lahaul valley has led to serious deforestation due to excessive use of fuel wood in the past. On the basis of family sizes, fuel wood consumption was recorded less in large family as compared to small family. The fuel wood is used for various activities such as cooking, water heating, room heating, lighting and livestock rearing, etc. Fuel wood consumption was highest in high altitude villages as compared to low altitude villages irrespective of family size. Fuel wood consumption of 4.32 0.99 kg/capita/day was highest at Khoksar for small family during winter season followed by the autumn (2.25 0.15 kg/capita/day) and summer (1.38 0.13 kg/capita/day). The labour energy expenditure for fuel wood collection was also highest for Khoksar (91.91 MJ/capita/year), followed by Hinsa (61.29 MJ/capita/year), Kuthar (52.01 MJ/capita/year) and Jahlma (51.89 MJ/capita/year), respectively. It was found that fuel wood consumption in the study region was influenced by the local cold climate and season of the year. The present information on fuel wood consumption pattern at different altitudes would be helpful in designing appropriate technologies to develop energy plantations in the region.
The determinants of fuel wood exploitation for household energy security in Kashmir Himalaya, India
The study investigated the household exploitation patterns of fuel wood and the role of determinant factors in fuel wood exploitation in Ganderbal district of Kashmir Himalaya. Multi-stage random sampling technique was employed to select sample villages (9) and households (380) for field survey. Data collection was done through structured interviews and non-participant observations. Descriptive and analytical statistics were employed to analyse the data. Results revealed that total extraction of fuel wood was 768.41 tons annum-1 @ 0.79 kg per capita day-1 while the consumption was 1152.60 tons annum-1 @ 1.18 kg per capita day-1. Thus, there is a shortage of 384.19 tons of fuel wood annum-1 @ 0.39 kg per capita day-1. The people are resource-poor characterized by low socioeconomic conditions and inadequate biophysical assets. Correlation analysis (r =-0.601 to 0.670; p = 0.000) indicated that the determinant factors exerted a strong influence on appropriating household fuel wood exploitation. Regression analysis ('t' value = 2.215 to 8.525) revealed that household size, livestock holding, primary occupation, gross annual income, proximity to the forest, forest resource possession and access to alternative energy sources are the key determinants influencing significantly the fuel wood exploitation and the R 2 (0.778) indicated that 77.80% of the variation in the fuel wood exploitation was explained by the determinant factors. To tackle the overwhelming household fuel wood dependency on forests, policy must be directed towards the diversification of alternative energy sources, promotion of low-cost technologies, afforestation programmes and substitution fuel wood.
Biomass and Bioenergy, 2000
An empirical study on the non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in three tribal villages on the Eastern Ghats of India was made during 1994±95. These village ecosystems Ð Rajikakhola, Nediguda and Badruguda Ð are situated in the Phulbani district of Orissa and are inhabited by the Kondh tribe. The average annual production of important non-timber forest products (NTFPs) was 1.87 t (26.78 GJ) of mohua¯ower, 2.96 t (54.41 GJ) of siali leaf, 6.73 t (107.06 GJ) of thatch grass, 4.2 t (8.01 GJ) of sago palm sap and 0.93 t (11.39 GJ) of tamarind pulp per village. Total production of NTFPs was 253.55 GJ per village. Total consumption of NTFPs was 190.57 GJ per village. However, average household consumption was 9.60 GJ. Annual country liquor consumption was 2287 l per village, out of which a total of 762 l was prepared locally and the rest imported. Total annual export of NTFPs was 3.69 t (61.47 GJ) per village, maximum being by Rajikakhola. Among the exported products siali leaf ranked highest. Total human energy expended for collection of NTFP was 16.1 GJ per village, out of which men contributed 37.3%, women 53.8% and children 8.9% in these villages. The average input±output ratio of energy for NTFP was 16.56. For sustainable development of tribal villages, conservation and proper management of existing forests, minimisation of waste and increase of the value of products through ecient processing are highly essential.
India���s forest and tree cover: contribution as a carbon sink
Technical Paper by Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, 2009
India ranks 10 th in the list of most forested nations in the world with 76.87 million ha of forest and tree cover. Like other forests of the world, our forests also provide critical ecosystem goods and services. However, the significant role of forests in carbon storage and sequestration has increased their importance manifold and brought them to the centre-stage of climate change mitigation strategies. TECHNIC AL PAPER vide LPG in hilly areas of Himalayan region and in central tribal belt offers another potential opportunity to further improve the carbon sequestration potential of our forests as this kind of fuel switching by the hilly and tribal communities would reduce pressure of fuelwood removal from forests.