Impact of Climate-Smart Stoves on Household Air Pollution in Asuogyaman District, Eastern Region,

ABSTRACT

The intense extraction of fuelwood and its use in Traditional Three-Stone Stoves (TTSS) for cooking by riparian communities along the Volta Lake is deemed to be linked with deforestation and the release of harmful gases that influence household air pollution and water level of the Volta Lake which is vital to hydropower generation. This study evaluated the impact of introduced improved local cookstoves christened “Climate-Smart Stoves” (CSS) on household air pollution, fuelwood consumption, cooking time and the health of residents of Asuogyaman District of Ghana. The study employed both purposive and simple random sampling procedures to select 20 cookstoves-comprising 10 CSS and 10 TTSS for controlled cooking to assess the performance of and emissions reduction by either stove. Landsat imagery for 2014, 2016 and 2018 was used to ascertain the extent of changes in forest cover which is tied to deforestation in the district. Records on Respiratory Tract Infections (RTI) were obtained from health facilities in the district. The results revealed that CSS was efficient at reducing carbon monoxide and particulate matter emissions (PM2.5) but consumed 36% more fuelwood during cooking, and users spent 44% more time in cooking than TTSS users. Also, out of a total of 188,309 RTI cases reported at health facilities, 41.38% were males whiles 58.62% were females and the burden of RTI fell disproportionately on females between ages of 20-34 years and children between the ages of 1- 4 years. It is recommended that efforts should be made to provide CSS to all households in the district to reduce noxious emissions that harm respiratory health. However, a second look at the engineering of CSS should be taken to improve fuel consumption and saving cooking time.