Ethno-Environmental Knowledge as A Tool to Combat Indoor Air Pollution in Low Income Countries: A Case Study from Rural Communities in Pakistan

Abstract

Abstract:It has recently been estimated that 4 million deaths each year are associated with air pollution originating from household solid fuel use. Interventions to reduce biomass fuel-related emissions can yield a diverse stream of benefits including improved public health, socio-economic development, reduced land degradation and climate change mitigation. This study investigates the use of indigenous knowledge to inform interventions to combat indoor air pollution at a rural site in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The results indicate that the majority of people using biomass fuel had knowledge of its ill health effects. A range of methods were utilised to reduce indoor smoke including cooking in open spaces, use of chimneys, better ventilation and use of dry fuel. Education and housing type showed a statistically significant relationship with awareness of methods to reduce indoor exposure to biomass smoke. These findings lend support to the notion that communities have indigenous knowledge and their own methods to reduce exposure to indoor smoke from biomass fuels; this knowledge can be used as tool to design and implement sustainable intervention strategies to reduce the risk of exposure to indoor air pollution. It is recommended that a community based intervention focusing on locally manufactured improved stoves and better designed cooking spaces would be a suitable intervention in this region.

Women’s Knowledge About Indoor Air Pollution in Nepal

“…Approximately 90% of the participants were known of some methods to reduce IAP exposure in Rural Pakistan among women rather than the vast majority of more than nine in ten were aware of the availability of clean fuel such as LPG, and they have expressed willingness to switch it. However, more than half of the participants still use biomass fuel, and only a few participants were using a combination of biomass fuel and LPG [11]. This may be due to a lack of knowledge and poor economic status.…”

“…When considering the cooking environment, participants were aware of strategies such as improving ventilation, use of a chimney and better kitchen design. In modifying the user behaviour by changing the cooking practice, the use of dry fuel was proposed by all the participants who declared awareness [11].…”

“…Similarly, approximately three quarter participants reported that the IAP cause cough [10]. Most of the people were aware that cooking fuels have health impacts and 8 in 10 knew that some fuels were better for health than others [11]. The participants' knowledge of the health effect of exposure to IAP was higher of the participants had poor knowledge of the health effects of prolonged exposure to air pollution from indoor cooking, while about one in ten participants had good knowledge of the health effects due to prolonged exposure to IAP [16].…”