U.S. Announces Grants to Help India Reduce Indoor Air Pollution

November 8, 2004

NEW DELHI -- The United States today announced two grants totaling $230,000 for community-based programs to reduce indoor air pollution from household energy use in India . The two pilot projects, under the aegis of the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air (PCIA), will address the increased environmental health risks faced in India from traditional biomass fuels like wood, crop waste and dung and coal used in homes for cooking and heating.

Announcing the grants, U.S. Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Blake said the Partnership was launched in September 2002 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and other partners at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg .

The two Indian grants will support local projects that will demonstrate effective approaches to increase the use of clean, reliable, affordable, safe, and efficient home cooking and heating practices that reduce people's exposure to indoor air pollution.
Funded by USEPA and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the grants have been awarded to the Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI) for a project in Maharashtra and Society for Development Alternatives (DA) for projects in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The ARTI pilot will replace existing fuel-stove combinations by the compact biogas system in about 2,000 households and the DA project will provide easy access of retail credit to about 3,000 families. Both the projects will conduct statewide campaigns for social marketing and public awareness.
The U.S. is leading the Partnership, working with more than 70 partners, including India , to improve health, livelihood and quality of life by reducing exposure to indoor air pollution, primarily among women and children. The Partnership aims to reduce exposure to indoor air pollution from household energy use for 5 million people by 2010 so they can live healthier, more productive, and better quality lives.

According to the World Health Organization's World Health Report (2002), indoor smoke from solid fuels is a major risk factor contributing to the global and regional burden of disease. More than three billion people, almost half of the world's population, still burn traditional fuels like firewood, coal, crop residues, and dung indoors for home cooking and heating- including an estimated 90% of rural Indian households. This widespread use results in the premature deaths of an estimated 1.6 million people globally annually, with women and children being most significantly affected. In India , acute respiratory infections are one of the main causes of mortality in children under-five.

To learn more about the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air and how it is improving indoor air in homes in India and around the world, visit http://www.PCIAonline.org .