Transcript An appraisal on Consumption and trade of fuel wood in Guwahati City, India Presented by: Dr.

An appraisal on Consumption and trade of
fuel wood in Guwahati City, India
Presented by:
Dr. Jnanashree Borah
Associate Professor, Deptt. Of
Geography
AryaVidyapeeth College, Guwahati 16
e-mail: [email protected]
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Introduction
Objectives
Methodology
Findings
I
N
T
R
 Fuelwood is the major form of energy in developing countries
is the
formtoofprovide
energy~in
developing
 Fuelwood 
It ismajor
estimated
30%
of energycountries
consumption,second to petroleum
 It is estimated
 to provide ~ 30% of energy consumption,second to petroleum
 In Africa
Like most developing countries, in India too, domestic consumption of fuel has a larger share in
consumption.
Despite
e availability
of commercial sources of energy and new
usagetheisnational
90% - energy
well wooded
& large
rural
population
and renewable sources, the traditional sources constitute the main sources
usage
is 10%
& more
 In Mexico 
In India
fuel- less
woodwooded
constitutes
32% urban population
O  In India fuel wood constitutes 32%
D
 Indian Rural Areas 85% household depend on fuel wood
85% household
depend
onconsumption
fuel wood of fuelwood and also for
 Indian Rural
 Areas
Consequent
upon the large
scale

U
C
T
fuelwood, increase in use of cowdung cakes at the cost of its manureal value
 Diminishing forest
cover leads to stresses in terms of increasing prices of
and more involvement of human hour in collecting fuelwood and preparing
fuelwood, increase in use of cowdung cakes at the cost of its manureal value
other fuels
and more involvement of human hour in collecting fuelwood and preparing
other fuels
 Inadequate substitutes for fuelwood , low purchasing power of the rural

people,lack of rural people’s participation in energy related programes
Inadequate substitutes
for fuelwood , low purchasing power of the rural
are other major problems
people,lack of rural people’s participation in energy related programes
are other
major
problems
The
fuelwood requirement and its availability which is linked to

supply vary so widely that it calls for a spatial approach
The fuelwoodsustainability
requirement of
and
its availability which is linked to
for understanding the fuelwood scene both at the micro and meso level
sustainability of supply vary so widely that it calls for a spatial approach
for understanding the fuelwood scene both at the micro and meso level
I
O
N
industries ~ 1.5million hec. of forest area are getting depleted every year
Consequent upon
the large scale consumption of fuelwood and also for

Diminishing
forest
coverarea
leadsare
to stresses
terms ofevery
increasing
industries ~ 1.5million
hec.
of forest
gettingin
depleted
year prices of
INTRODUCTION
In North East India, more than 80% people live in rural
areas Again, more than 90% rural people are dependent on
fuelwoodAs for example,
Assam has the forest cover of less than21% . Even
Meghalaya plateau has the forest cover of below the
minimum requirement of 32% of its Geographical area.
Other states are also facing fast depletion of forest
In many instances it has been argued that the
widespread use of fuelwood is linked to a number
of
environmental
problems,
including
deforestation, biodiversity loss, climate change
and land degradation .
The presence of these environmental problems at any
given site may have detrimental consequences for
livelihood security and sustainability. These may be
manifest as a decrease in human well-being that can be
measured in social and economic terms, such as longer
fuelwood collection times and opportunity costs , localized
loss of useful fruit species , increased cash needs to
purchase alternatives and reduced cooking times and
hence poorer nutrition .
Meghalaya
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INTRODUCTION
However, the relative contribution of fuelwood use to environmental
decline has been questioned, especially in terms of biodiversity
loss, deforestation and land degradation .

It has been shown in many cases that fuelwood use is usually
only a minor contributor to these problems, except where urban
demand is significant
 .
 In this context, the fuel wood scenario in India bears multifaceted
problems as its urban areas seems to have voracious appetite for
Fuelwood.

Again, enhancing alternative fuels for urban poor seems to be
another hurdle for energy planners in India.

Keeping this perspective in view, the paper attempts to study the
consumption and trade of fuel wood in Guwahati, the premier city
in the North-Eastern part of India.
OBJECTIVES


The objective of this study is to investigate the changes in patterns of
fuelwood use in the Guwahati Municipal Area (GMA) between 1988 and 2000
based on a longitudinal study on fifteen Municipal wards using the same
survey tools and techniques.
The study attempts to identify the various sources of Fuelwood supply and
to trace the pathways or intermediaries through which it reaches the
consumer.
STUDY AREA:







Guwahati, the premier metropolis of North East India is the principal centre of its
political, cultural, commercial, administrative and industrial activities
The population of Guwahati Metropolitan Area has grown almost 6.5 times between
1971 and 2001.
The municipal limit of the city increased from 7.68 sq. km. in 1951 to 14 Sq. km. in
1961, which further increased to 43.82 sq. km in 1971 and 216.79 sq. km. in 1991.
The city had a total population of 809,895 in 2001with a population density of 3736
persons per sq.km (Census of India).
It is seen that there has been a 38.6% decadal increase in the density in the GMC
area between 1991 and 2001.With 184,454 households, persons per household are
4.64.
There were 32 Municipal Wards in 1991 which has increased to 61 in 2001.
There are around 26 slum pockets in the GMC area housing around 0.16 million
persons, about 20% of the total population. Master Plan, 2010)
METHODOLOGY:
The temporal change of fuelwood use, which is the main objective of the present
study, was based on two surveys completed in 1988 and 2000. The author completed the
first study as principal investigator of a research project on Domestic Energy Survey
sponsored by Assam Science Technology & Environment Council. The second study was
also a research project on Energy Consumption Pattern and Conservation Practices of
urban families, sponsored by University Grants Commission.
The survey methods (stratified random sampling) employed in both the studies were same
The sample surveys were carried on using schedules administered through personal
interviews. For this purpose, 15 out of the total of 34 Municipal wards were selected on
random basis covering both the peripheral as well as the core zones of the municipal area
during the study of 1988, By 2000, total municipal wards in the city have been increased to
61 to cover the 38% growth of population, although there was no change in the
geographical area of the city during the period of reference..
A second set of schedules were employed for this purpose. Data have been
collected from sale points i.e. the retail shops of Fuelwood and from two entry points where
forest department’s check gates are located.
The collected data have been interpreted with the help of statistical techniques based on
which inferences are drawn Secondary data used in the study include Census reports,
municipal records and various other official documents.
RESULTS:
Use of fuelwood for Cooking:
Use of Fuelwood shows a wide variation during 1988 and 2000 across the
sampled municipal wards.
However, for establishing a comparative status other fuels used by the
households wee also considered in the study.
 Again, Fuelwood use in the study primarily means the energy for cooking ,
that has been recommended by the Advisor Board for energy in India, as a
basic need for survival (ABE,1995).
There was a significant decrease in the mean percentage of households
using Fuelwood from 46.0% to 20.9% with t value at 9.016 depicting
significant change at >0.05 level. LPG seems to enter to the households as
their prime cooking fuel ,as the percentage change of households using LPG
has increased by 24% showing a statistically significant variation (t = -9.305
at >0.05) during the period of reference (Table 1).
Table 1: Change in Use of Fuels in the sampled wards of Guwahati Municipal Area
(Paired Sample Test)
Types of fuel and year
of reference
Pai
r1
LPG_1988
Percentage of
households use
Mean
39.80
N=N
umb
er of
Wad
s
Std.
Deviati
on
Std.
Error
Mean
15
18.571
4.795
LPG_2000
Pai
r2
Fuelwood_1988
Fuelwood_2000
Pai
r3
Pai
r5
15
11.155
2.880
46.13
15
17.505
4.520
20.93
15
9.588
2.476
9.93
15
4.527
1.169
Std.
Devi
ation
Std.
Error
Mean
24.200
10.0
73
25.200
t
Degree
of
Freedo
m df
Sig.
(2tailed))
2.601
-9.305
14
.000
10.8
25
2.795
9.016
14
.000
-1.400
4.35
6
1.125
-1.245
14
.234
.733
2.60
4
.672
1.091
14
.294
.400
1.29
8
.335
1.193
14
.253
Kerosne_1988
Kerosene_2000
Pai
r4
64.00
Percen
tage
Chang
e
Mean
Coaldut_1988
Coaldust_2000
Sawdust_1988
Sawdust_2000
11.33
15
2.992
.773
1.80
15
2.396
.619
1.07
15
1.335
.345
1.33
15
3.735
.964
Trend in percentage of households using different fuels for cooking
purpose in the sampled households of Guwahati Municipal Area
Data Source: Field Survey
Figure: 2
This is mainly preferred by households in the low income group. Coal dust is mixed with
water along with soil and cowdung to prepare the coal balls for use in special type of chulha
(cook stove) made with tin buckets. There is a nominal decrease of use of this fuel which was
1.8% in 19 88 has gone down to 1.5% in 2000(t=1.091 at >0.05).
Pattern of cooking energy consumption is closely related to the income levels of the
households. Here, households are divided into eight income groups. The mean monthly
income of the income groups ranges from <Rs 500 to >Rs 3500 for “very low” and” “High”
income group in 1988 to <Rs 1500 to >Rs 26000 for “very low” to “High” income group in
2000 .The distribution of data indicates that energy consumption by household varies widely
across the various income levels.
In the lowest income group, wood is by far the most widely used fuel catering to 72 percent
of the household followed by kerosene 9.8 percent and LPG 0.91 percent. As income rises,
the share of wood as cooking fuel falls steadily until it accounts for 16 percent for high
income group.
 The share of LPG is almost nil in the lowest income group with mean monthly income of
Rs. 750/-. LPG starts its share at 2.3 percent in the next level of income i.e. Rs. 1001/- to Rs.
1500/- and increases rapidly to 80 percent in the highest income level.
 The share of kerosene as cooking energy is not significant in any one of the income
groups.
The variation in percentages of Fuel use by Income Groups during 1988 and 2000 has been
calculated as percentage of 2000- percentage of 1988, considering 2000 as base year.
Relatively higher change in consumption in terms of shifting of fuel from fuel wood to
commercial fuel i.e. Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) occurs in ‘High Lower Medium’ and ‘Low
Lower Medium’ income groups. On the other hand, the ‘Very Low’ and ‘Low’ income groups
show no shifting at all during 1988 and 2000. (Table 2.)
Table2: Variation in percentages of Fuel Use by Income Groups during 1988 and 2000
(Base year 2000)
Kerosen
e
Firewoo
d
0.0
25.1
-9.0
-3.6
-4.8
0.0
16.5
-21.1
0.0
0.8
43.5
-5.8
-45.6
3.1
1.0
53.4
-8.3
-42.3
-3.7
0.9
39.1
-3.7
-30.2
-2.6
-0.5
31.1
-5.0
-26.1
0.0
0.0
23.2
-2.9
-20.4
0.0
0.0
7.9
-1.7
-6.2
0.0
0.0
L.PG.
Income Group
I (Very Low)
II (Low)
III (Low Lower medium)
IV (High lower Medium)
V (Medium)
VI( Low Upper medium)
VII (High Upper medium)
VIII (High )
Saw
Dust
Coal
Dust
No of households
167
242
294
326
381
299
314
177
The variation of percentage is calculated as (Percentage of 2000 - Percentage of 1988

Cooking Energy Use by the Urban Poor:
Out of the eight income groups examined in the present study, the lowest
two levels i.e. ‘Very Low’ and ‘Low’ have been considered as urban poor,
the mean monthly income being <Rs 500 and <Rs 1500 for ‘Very Low’ and
<Rs 501-Rs 1000 and <Rs 1501- Rs 3000 for ‘Low’ income groups for the
year 1988 and the year 1988 and 2000 respectively.

The study area includes several blighted settlements occupied by people
from the lowest income groups. A sample of eighty-two such households
was surveyed. An assortment of mostly non- commercial type fuels
including twigs and branches of Fuelwood are used by these households.

With LPG and Kerosene not affordable and free Fuel wood not easily
accessible, these households use some rare type of fuels found in the
proximity of dwellings. In the eastern periphery of the city a substantial
portion of the households in the ward no. 32, use cowdung cakes as
cooking fuel. The ward no. 21, located in the core zone which is the
wholesale center for the municipal area, shows the use of small bundles of
fuelwood chip out from packing boxes. Again the ward no. 29 located in
the peripheral zone shows the use of sugarcane biogases.

One interesting type of energy is used for cooking by the households
residing near the oil refinery, Noonmati. These households collect the
hydrocarbon waste from the refinery effluent- carrying drain and get it
dried in the sun. It is then mixed with soil to form balls for use in chulhas.
The health consequences due to the use of this type of fuel could not be
examined in the present study. There seems to be less variation in
percentage of households using this rare type of energy.
in view of the limited nature of the data collected from the slums, the
details of the energy scene prevailing there could not be presented here in
greater depths.

The Fuelwood Trade:
Like other cities in India such as Delhi or Hyderabad, Fuelwood trade in Guwahati
Municipal Area is also highly organized. There are 309 retail centers of Fuelwood.
The quantity of Fuelwood sold shows a seasonal trend where winter months registered
the maximum sale .On the average the amount of Fuelwood sold per month is 141
quintals in each retail centers. The total amount of Fuelwood under retail trade has
been estimated at 52282 tonnes. The total consumption of Fuelwood has been
calculated at 743645 tonnes for the present analysis, based on the per capita annual
consumption of 240 Kg, estimated during 2000 study .
This estimate is lower by 21363 tones compared to the total volume of fuelwood
consumption as revealed in the field survey. The discrepancy may be more when the
bulk / commercial consumption is considered. .On the other hand, the sampling
procedure followed in the study may be responsible for part of this difference as the
retail centre with municipality license for selling Fuelwood are only considered here.
Figure 3: Flow of Fuel Wood to Guwahati Municipal Area
Through Khanapara Forest Check Gate
Through Khanemukh Forest Check Gate
40
30
35
25
30
20
25
20
15
15
10
10
5
5
Data Source: Field Survey.
Monsoon (July - Oct.)
Winter (Nov. ---Feb.)
Summer (March-June)
rs
Ot
he
oo
d
yw
Dr
Ba
mb
oo
oo
d
Pin
eW
l
es
t ag
e
sa
llw
Mi
De
ad
lL
og
Sa
Sa
No
n-S
al
l
Summer (March - June )
De
ad
s
Dr
yw
oo
d
Sa
lL
og
Sa
l
Ba
mb
oo
Mi
ll w
es
tag
e
Ot
he
rs
No
n-S
al
Pi n
eW
oo
d
Winter (Nov. ---Feb.)
al
0
0
Monsoon (July- Oct.)

But in practice, Fuelwood is being sold on a regular basis in the daily and weekly
open market all over the municipal area. Some other establishments, not specializing
solely on the sale of Fuelwood, also deals in considerable quantity of Fuelwood.
Besides a small percentage of the consumers depend on free collection of Fuelwood
from the neighbouring areas. Like other traders, the traders in fuelwood may also
have a tendency to systematically under report sales to augment financial gains.

The data collected from the forest check gates at various entry points indicate a poor
estimate of Fuelwood arrival in the Guwahati municipal area compare to the total
volume dealt by retail traders. The entry point survey accounts for 20829 tonnes of
Fuelwood arrival annually, which is well below the estimate obtained from the retail
trade survey indicating a difference of 42160 tonnes. Fuelwood arrival at two major
forest checkgates is illustrated in fig. 3. This vast anomaly may be due partly to the
limited coverage of the survey. The data on Fuelwood arrival in the municipal area
has been collected from the official records maintained by the forest department at
Khanamukh at Khanapara check gates. The data from the Lakhra check gate which is
relatively less significant could not be collected in detail for each month.

However, some data on average inflow rates has been collected from the circle
division of the forest department at Guwahati. In view of these discrepancies the
annual estimate based on the limited survey could result in underestimation of the
annual arrivals. The forest department doesn’t maintain records on fuelwood arrivals
through bullock carts, horse carts etc. Moreover, additional supplies could arrive
through roads without any forest check gates. Of course such arrivals may be less
significant compared to the arrivals through check gates. Except the AT road,
connecting the northern bank of the Brahmaputra and national highway 37 near
Jalukbari, the other roads are very small with poor surface area and are not suitable
for fuelwood- handling trucks. The factors mentioned above, however, cannot explain
fully such a huge underestimation in total arrival of Fuelwood. So, possibilities of
smuggling in respect of Fuelwood are apparently there and hence are the
discrepancy in the estimate.
Sources of Fuelwood Supply:
There are many sources of supply of Fuelwood to the Guwahati Municipal
Area which are geographically dispersed occurring in the neighboring
districts.
Prior to 1981, the forest department did not look after the Fuelwood trade
directly. Timbers were operated under coop system i.e. an area of forest is
allowed to be operated by private contractors after inviting tenders. The
branches and lops of trees are sold as Fuelwood by contractors, so no
such official date on Fuelwood is available prior to 1981. Now Fuelwood
has to be purchased by the contractors at government auctions and are
given transit passes which they have to produce in forest gates.
The source regions of Fuelwood are not only confined to the districts of
Assam but also cover parts of the States of Meghalaya and Nagaland,
which is illustrated in the fig. 4. Sources vary considerably in distance
from the Guwahati Municipal Area, the maximum being more than 400kms
(Makum in Dibrugarh district). The maximum volume of Fuelwood arrives
through the Khanapara entry point. The major part this supply comes from
the state of Meghalaya followed by Nagaon districts in Assam.
The types of Fuelwood supplied to the Guwahati Municipal Area can be
grouped into the categories of deadwood, felled branches, weed stalks
etc.
Data Source: Field Survey 2010
Figure 4
Fuel wood comes mostly from Sal trees, (Shorea Robusta) which is the most
important sources of hardwood timber, resinous and durable, and is
sought for construction.
Pine tree, which is a popular evergreen tree that has great decorative ad
commercial value, is also supplied for Fuelwood. The roots of pine trees
have got a good demand as fuel wood which is supplied from Meghalaya.
timber logs are also supplied as Fuelwood which involves large scale treefelling. Waste products of saw mills also pass through the entry points as
fuel).
Conservation Practices : Results from the Check list
The responses received are indicative of their extent of awareness and
Those which are in real practice.
Methods in cooking : Of 15 major conservation measures , 6-10 are adopted. This
includes keeping the ingredients ready before starting to cook, cooking both meals
together, using optimum amount of water/ boiled water, using pressure cooker, lifting
the lid unnecessarily etc.
Efficient use of stove : 7 out of 10 measures are adopted. This includes controlling
the height of the flame according the vessels used, seeing that nothing overflows,
reducing and lowering the flame when boiling starts,keeping the gas burner clean ,
using fuel efficient cook stoves, maintaining blue flame etc.
Efficient use of Utensils : 5 out of 10 measures are adopted . This include using
proper lids, keeping vessels clean, adjusting the flame according to vessels,using
copper bottomed vessels etc.
Coefficient of variation : In order to measure the absolute dispersion (variability) of
the number of conservation methods practiced in different income levels the standard
deviation and coefficient of variation are calculated . The coefficient of variation are
found at 4.4. 11.06, and 12.23 for low, medium, and high income households.--- high
income group is more consistent , stable and homogenous with regard to adopting
conservation measures.
CONCLUSION:
The longitudinal study using the same survey instrument has revealed a number of
attributes of urban demand for fuelwood that need to be considered by energy
planners.
The use of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) is confined to the middle and the upper income
groups. Fuelwood remains as a prime fuel for cooking for the ‘Lower Medium’ to
‘Low’ and ‘Very Low’ income households. The upper medium and high income
households use Fuelwood as secondary fuel, in combination with LPG and Kerosene
to substantiate the supply constrains of these fuels.
Substituting Fuelwood by LPG does not seem to be viable for the urban poor because of
the high unit cost inherent in the use of LPG, and the high cylinder cost. With free
Fuelwood becoming scarce and its unit cost rising, they are compelled to use some
rare fuels.
Developing inclusive policies for the urban poor calls for a working definition of the urban
poor, and the presence of a good data base on their various socio-economic
characteristics and energy usage patterns. Such a policy should also be focused and
adapted in context to the national Slum Policy. Access to clean energy should be on
the high agenda of such policies along with other basic amenities/infrastructure
services.
The results show the vast anomaly between the supply and consumption of Fuelwood in
the city may indicate, inter-alia, the large scale smuggling involved in the Fuelwood
trade. The hills in the peripheral regions of Guwahati have been adversely affected by
the illegal tree felling practice since long past. This poses considerable challenges to
external interventions in both the Govt. and Non Govt. sectors
Options remain for the poor
Cooking in Traditional Chulha low energy efficiency
- consume large scale wood
• More than 95% chulhas in North East India are traditional chulhas
• Notonly the poors but also the medium and high income
groups use it either lone
Source or substitute to other form of energy - A Field Study
Cooking in traditional chulha consumes more time
Woman is exposed to smoke which is ten times more harmful
than that caused to a chain smoker
A Tribal Woman in cooking -Field study
Fuelwood ,bought and used in
traditional chulha is tha costliest of all fuels
Forest in the
neighbourhood;
a vital source for
fuelwood
A shoulder load of fuelwood
for roadside sale
Time &
Distance on the
rise in
fuelwood
collection
Field survey from a village in the Hilly track
The Cities have voracious appetite for fuelwood :
Delhi receives its fuelwood all the way from Assam
The Hydro carbon balls made out of waste product from affluent
carrying drains of Oil refinery in Guwahati - A Field Study
A woman is busy in making the
hydrocarbon balls to use as fuels
With Fuelwood becoming difficult to
obtain free and no such option in
hand Woman are left to use whatever
is found free to cook No study has
yet been carried out to measure the
health hazard related to consumption
of such fuels: Life of the poor is
threatened - A Field study
To substantiate fuelwood Cowdung is used in the
villages Its value as manure is lost.
Cowdung cakes being dried in Sun , a stalk ready for use
as cooking fuel : A scene common both in village and city field study
Woman energy is used in
preparing fuels from Cowdung
Bio-gas is an efficient device : dung is used
as fuel and slur is used as manure
Stove fuelled with Bio gas
:A traditional fuelwood
chulha is kept as a side-by
Poor performance of a Bio- gas
plant, a common seen
A Field Study in a village from riverine block
Fuelwood becomes scarce to obtain free
Fuelwood collection: Agricultural waste and small branch twigs etc.
from odd sources ; Children are compelled to help their parents
A Field Survey from village in a riverine block