Solutions to reduce Household Air Pollution (HAP) in South Asia

Discussing Household Air Pollution at Better Air Quality Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka

More than 1000 delegates from different organizations participated in the Better Air Quality Conference held in Colombo, Sri Lanka during 19-21 November, 2014. This conference, first organized in 2002, is one of the major international events that focuses on improving air quality in Asia. The conference was organized in collaboration/partnership with a number of leading agencies such as Asian Development Bank, Clean Air Asia, World Bank Group, Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenrbeit (GIZ) and Government of Sri Lanka. The GIZ programme for Poverty-oriented Basic Energy Services (HERA), organized a pre-event “Household Air Pollution (HAP) Effects on Health and Climate Change” and a panel discussion “Household Air Pollution - the silent killer” in the main event.

Pre-event: Household Air Pollution – Effects on Health and Climate Change, 18^th November, 2014

The pre-event was held to raise awareness on household air pollution and its effects on health and environment, and to discuss the policy and implementation level challenges in addressing the issue of household air pollution (HAP). Three panels set the context for addressing household air pollution in the light of recently released WHO guidelines for indoor air quality and provided a platform to have detailed discussion on experiences of different Asian countries in addressing HAP.

The panelists comprehensively established that the impact of HAP is alarming on health and environment and there is a need to adopt innovative approaches and further improve the technologies such as clean cooking devices that have potential to solve the problem. It was also evident from the discussions that there are lessons and experiences within each country that could benefit the entire region and that more interactions are needed to do so. The experts from different implementing organizations concluded that more research and evidence based initiatives, as well as understanding of behavioural dimensions of users, are needed to develop better implementation strategies. The panels consisted of experts and representatives from the Climate And Clean Air Coalition, GIZ, Government of Sri Lanka, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, SolarAid, ICIMOD, RTI, World Health Organizations (WHO), World LPG Association.

Panel Discussion: Household Air Pollution - the silent killer, 20^th November, 2014

GIZ organized the panel discussion to raise awareness about the critical importance of addressing HAP. It aimed at identifying the key factor responsible for the Household Air Pollution and highlighted the ways it can be addressed. The panel consisted of representatives from WHO, Government of Sri Lanka, GIZ and Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.

The new WHO guidelines recommend that coal and kerosene should not be used as a fuel for lighting or cooking in the households and households should move to clean options for cooking and lighting such as LPG and biogas stoves, improved cookstoves and solar lights. Representatives from the Sri Lankan government, presenting their initiatives on HAP, demanded more support from international NGOs, researchers and scientist in order to act more informed and effectively. The panel discussed how existing technologies can be made cleaner and more effective and how various technologies could be made available and affordable to more households.

Documentation

Pre-event: Household Air Pollution – Effects on Health and Climate Change, 18^thNovember, 2014

Agenda

Please refer to the following webpage [LINK].

Presentations

Please click at the provided links below to open the presentations.

Panel 1: Setting the Scene on indoor air pollution and effects on health and climate

Carlos Dora, WHO: Health and environmental impacts of household air pollution

Myles Elledge, RTI: Assesments on stove emissions, indoor air quality, personal exposure

Martina Otto, CCAC: Effects on household energy consumption on climate, environment and agriculture

Panel 2: National policies - challenges governments and other national stakeholders are facing to reduce indoor air pollution

Mohammad Khalequzzaman, GIZ Bangladesh: Country case Bangladesh

Bijaya Sharma, ICIMOD: Country case Nepal

Thusitha Sugathapala, Sustainable Energy Authority: Country case Sri Lanka

Panel 3: Household energy use - solutions considered from different perspectives

Kapil Goel, GACC: Clean Cookstoves and health

Michael Kelly, WLPGA: LPG as an option to improve indoor air quality

Marlis Kees, GIZ: Solutions to reduce Indoor air pollution through access to basic energy technologies

Kat Harrison, SolarAid: Solutions to reduce indoor air polltion through access to modern off-grid lighting

Photodocumentation

Panel Discussion: Household Air Pollution - the silent killer, 20^th November, 2014

1. Agenda
2. Presentations

Further information

• Indoor Air Pollution
• Indoor Air Pollution Measurement
• Indoor air quality guidelines: household fuel combustion (WHO)
• Indoor air pollution in developing countries: a major environmental and public health challenge (WHO)
• Conference Documentation on energypedia

Reference

• GIZ programme for Poverty-oriented Basic Energy Services (HERA)