The Indian National Improved Stoves Program

by Jamuna Ramakrishna Country Studies No. 2 10 July 1991

Risk and Development Program Environment and Policy Institute East-West Center 1777 East-West Road Honolulu, Hawaii 96848 USA

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Contents
Country Study No. 2: I n d i a

Introduction National Programme on Improved Chulhas (NPIC) Evolution of NPIC NPIC at the State Level: Karnataka Apparent Problems Conclusions and Recommendations Acknowledgements References 2 2

1 1 4 5 8 9 5 6

The Indian National Improved Stoves Program

Introduction Improved cookstoves (ICs) have had a long history in India. A national program was established in December 1983. Previous efforts were relatively small in scale and ambition. In the eight years since its inception, the National Programme on Improved Chulhas (NPIC) has expanded and evolved; approximately 8 million ICs have been disseminated. The target for 1990-91 is 1.8 million ICs. I n this brief report, the objectives, history, structure, and achievements of NPIC will be described. I n addition, the strengths and limitations of the program will be discussed using the state of Karnataka as an example. National Programme on Improved Chulhas (NPIC) Objectives, History, Achievements For the first two years, NPIC was run as a pilot project (National Programme on the Demonstration of Improved Chulhas (NPDIC)). I t became a full-fledged program in 1986. National administration of the program has always been the responsibility of the Department of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (DNES). NPIC's objectives are: 1) Energy/fuel wood/forest conservation; 2) Employment generation; 3) Elimination/reduction of smoke, drudgery, and health ha7ards particularly to women and children; 4) Ecological/environmental improvement; and 5) Taking science and technology to the heart of the household. Dr. A. R. Shukla, Principal Scientific Officer, DNES, and head administrator of NPIC, ranks the first and third objectives as the most important, with employment generation taking second place. N PIC has a wide coverage and operates in every state, district, and block of the country. Since ICs are usually designed for biomass fuels, and primarily for fuelwood, most ICs have been placed in rural households that belong to lower income groups. Urban and periurban households, however, are also served by NPIC; the portable metal ICs are directed mainly towards this market. I n addition, community-scale ICs are disseminated by NPIC for use in hostels, military encampments, and small-scale commercial operations. The mid-day meal program in schools also benefit from community-scale ICs. Administrative structure The DNES directs and coordinates NPIC. The NPIC office in Delhi has a staff of five or six fulltime employees. I t is their task to oversee the progress of the program. They are aided by six regional DNES offices and 12 monitoring cells. The regional offices are located in Chandigarh, Luclmow, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Bhopal, and Hyderabad. Each regional office has 10 staff members while there are six staff in each of the monitoring cells. The staff of these offices and cells monitor all active DNES projects including NPIC. There is no

2 fulltime staff person at these offices or monitoring cells devoted solely to NPIC activities. These DNES outposts serve mainly as conduits for directives issued in Delhi. Their presence / also allows DNES to monitor ongoing projects more frequently than would otherwise be possible. NPIC is unique among improved cookstove programs (ICPs) globally in that it has a well-established system of technical support. Specially designated technical backup units (TBUs) conduct research on ICs, and provide technical advice to DNES and the implementing agencies. There are 22 TBUs; the goal is to have one in each of the 25 states. These units are often based in educational institutions and, in addition to scientific staff and their assistants, have the facilities to measure the fuel utilization efficiency of ICs Tw o of the backup units are also equipped to conduct emissions testing. TBUs are mandated to develop IC designs that not only meet the established minimum efficiency criterion but also are suited to the diet and cooking practices of a given area. Several of the TBUs are also capable of certifying ICs, that is, determining that they meet minimum requirements for inclusion in DNES' list of approved IC models (which are then eligible for subsidy through NPIC). Each state selects one or two nodal agencies for the implementation of NPIC. I n most cases, the nodal agencies are state government departments such as energy development, science and technology, rural development, forestry, social welfare, or housing and panchayati raj (local administration). On l y in a few instances is the nodal agency an NGO or voluntary organization. I t is official DNES policy, however, to encourage nodal agencies to recruit NGOs to implement at least 25% o f the annual target. Each state is assigned an annual target by DNES. The nodal agency then meets this target using its own administrative structure following guidelines provided by DNES. Generally, most of the activity occurs at the block level. A t the state and district levels, the main activity is the distribution of the target and the disbursement of funds. The distribution of the annual target to district and block levels appears to be based on population and the previous year's achievement. Monitoring of the program at the state level consists mainly of tacking expenditures and target achievement. Monitoring of IC performance occurs mainly at the block and village level. Figure 1 shows an overview of NPIC administration in one state, Karnataka At the village household, the ICs are built by self-employed workers (SEWs) who work on a contract basis for the implementing agency. SEWs may be local potters, masons, artisans, or village level workers such as the health worker. They may be men or women. The SEWs are overseen by gram sevikas (women who assist block-level functionaries with village-based development efforts) and eventually by the Block Development Officer (BDO). The SEWs are trained in 10-day courses run by the TBU. Each course trains 20 SEWs; a budget of Rs. 8000/course is provided by DNES. Each year, active SEWs attend a three-day refresher course to learn about developments in IC construction and maintenance; the budget for these courses is Rs. 3000. The targets for these courses are set by DNES though the dates are determined locally by the TBU in conjunction with district and block-level field

3 functionaries. (Fo r an indication of these targets, see Table 2 which shows the 1990-91 targets for Karnataka state). Each SEW has a contract to build a maximum of 300 ICs every year. SEWs receive a payment of Rs. 10 per IC built (this amount is Rs 15 in more remote and inaccessible locations; it is Rs. 5 for portable metal ICs delivered to households). I n addition, the SEWs are responsible for carrying out repairs, maintenance, monitoring, follow up and users' education for the period of one year. Fo r these services, SEWs collect a supervisory fee of Rs. 5 from beneficiaries. The choice of the IC design is based on the findings of a baseline survey conducted by the SEWs of existing cooking practices (Annexe 1). The gram sevikas identify prospective users in a village and supervise SEWs in the construction phase. The BDO, district and state level officials monitor progress periodically. These upperlevel management staff also attend a day-long training course once a year. This course is usually conducted by staff from the TBU and the nodal agency. DNES provides the target and budget (Rs. 1000/pmgram) for these managrment exposure courses as well. Financial structure NPIC is funded under Government of hidia's New 20 Point Programme and Minimum Needs Programme N PIC 's budget for 1990-91 is Rs. 125 million. The program's major expenditure is subsidies. A l l ICs are subsidized to the consumer to some extent. The amount of subsidy depends on the type of stove and the socioeconomic status of the recipient. Portable metal stoves receive a 50% subsidy regardless of the status of the consumer. Mu d stoves are fully subsidized to those belonging to scheduled castes and tribes. Others receive a 60% subsidy. Some state governments bear a portion of program management costs but this seldom amounts to more than a fraction of DNES' contribution. Funds are distributed by DNES to the nodal agencies in each state. H a l f the funds are released at the beginning of the fiscal year (April); the second payment awaits the receipt of a Utilization Certificate (Annexe 2) for the previous year and completion of 30% of the target for the ongoing year. The nodal agencies distribute funds to the district offices which in turn pass the monies on to the BDOs. Where necessary, the BDO puts out tenders and enters into a contract with the lowest bidder to manufacture the metal components of IC& The components are then transported to the villages and ICs are built by SEWs. Portable metal stoves are bought directly from the manufacturers. SEWs are responsible for transporting them from the BDO's office to the user's household. The payment to SEWs is to be made by nodal agencies in nine equal installments over the period of one year after ensuring that all responsibilities have been fulfilled satisfactorily. Monitoring and evaluation system The SEW makes a follow up visit to monitor performance and user satisfaction. The SEW keeps a record of his or her work on a chulha card that remains with the user. Subsequently, inspecting officers record their comments on this card as well. The monitoring /

4 schedule is as follows: 1) A l l (100%) ICs are surveyed and followup action taken at the village and block level. 2) A t least 10% o f the ICs are surveyed by district level officials. 3) A t least 2% of the ICs are surveyed by state level officials. Consolidated monthly reports are submitted to DNES. The types of information collected during these monitoring activities can be gleaned from this summary report. A copy of the proforma is attached (Annexe 3). The method for selecting households or villages for inspection is not specified. There have been three external evaluations of NPIC conducted by research institutions. Their findings are presented in Boxes 1, 2, and 3. There appears to be no set schedule for evaluation. Evolution of NPIC The experiences of the last eight years has influenced the present structure of NPIC. Two major changes have occurred in NPIC due to lessons learned along the way. The first major change was the introduction of SEWs in recognition of the fact that monitoring and followup activities were not being adequately performed under the original program structure. Previously, groups of potential beneficiaries were trained by nodal agencies to build ICs in their respective and neighbouring villages. Users were not required to pay the IC builders anything. There was little incentive for builders to provide follow up services. There was also a high drop-out rate among trained chulha builders. The SEW system tries to address some of these deficiencies in NPIC's original structure. The supervisory fee that the users are required to pay the SEWs is meant to instill a feeling of ownership and, hence, create a greater degree of interest in the subsequent condition and performance of the IC. The second major change has been in a greater responsiveness to user needs and a recognition of technological and practical limitations. The first wave of change came with the elimination of dampers and baffles from IC designs. Field surveys had found that these design features were frequently ineffective for various cultural and practical reasons and had the potential for becoming barriers to adoption. The removal of the dampers may be seen as a compromise between the reality of user interests and the ideal world of efficiency objectives. The second wave of design changes has been in a shift from mud stoves built in situ to the use of mass-produced pottery liners that SEWs can use as inserts for the ICs. This innovation was introduced in order to minimize the opportunities for error in IC construction. Controlling the quality of mass-produced liners is logistically more feasible than ensuring the quality of individual ICs built in situ. Also, the stovebuilding skill of the SEWs is reduced since, under the new method, construction consists o f packing insulating material (clay, straw, dung mixture) around the insert and attaching the asbestos cement pipe for the chimney. These are both relatively recent changes: SEWs were introduced in 1988-89 while liner dissemination has not yet started in earnest. Chulha production centres where potters are to be trained in liner manufacture have not been set up. The change wrought by the SEWs

5 has yet to be assessed; it is too early to determine the effectiveness of the liners. There have been no formal evaluations of the NPIC since these changes came into effect. NPIC at the state level: Karnataka Objectives, history, achievements NPIC's objectives are the same in all the states. Kamataka's IC history is slightly different from that of the other Indian states in that it predates NPIC. Since 1975, Karnataka has had a independent body to act as liaison between state government agencies and the scientific community. This body, the Karnataka State Council on Science and Technology (KSCST), is mandated to foster the development and transfer of technology and scientific knowledge to the rural areas of the state A s part of their activities, they began an improved cookstove program in 1983, disseminating an IC designed at the Centre for Application of Science and Technology to Rural Areas (ASTRA) o f the Indian Institute of Science. This IC, the ASTRA ole, was later approved by DNES and disseminated by NPIC. The existence of KSCST and its well-established infrastructure allowed NPIC to grow rapidly in Karnataka. I n the first year of operation a training course was run in each of the 175 blocks of the state. To date, 350,000 ICs have been disseminated in Karnataka under NPIC. The target for 199091 is 100,000 ICs. The program operates in every block and in probably 75% of the villages in the state. Adminstrative structure The nodal agency in Karnataka is the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (DRDPR). NPIC is part of that department's Integrated Rural Energy Programme (IREP). I t is here the state's annual target is distributed among the districts. Table 1 shows how this was done for the 1990-91 target of 100,000 ICs. The TBU is KSCST; monitoring activities are also coordinated and supervised by KSCST. The state-level manpower investment in NPIC is as follows: The director of IREP has three full-time staff members who are in charge of administration. One of KSCST's system analysts supervises the TBU's NPIC activities. H e is assisted by one full-time monitoring supervisor and three or four part-time research staff. Research activities are supervised by scientists who work on an honorary basis. Tw o potters/masons are on the staff as well. Field operations at the district level are overseen by a chulha supervisor. There is one supervisor (also called "project assistant") in each of ten districts. The remaining districts (where 'REP is active) have Junior Engineers trained and deputed by KSCST. Each district, then, has an individual who monitors the work of the SEWs. Since this is the only individual at the district level with technical expertise, he/she may be called upon to assist with the district biogas program as well. The situation is reversed at the block level, where the gobar gas (biogas) supervisor has the additional responsibility of providing technical assistance to

6 NPIC. The district chulha supervisor is on the staff of KSCST though he is on DRDPR's payroll. KSCST staff run the regular and refresher training courses for SEWs. Th e typical SEW training course has the following curriculum: Day 1 T h e o r y of ICs Day 2 Construction of demonstration IC Day 3 G r o u p of trainees construct IC Day 4 V i l l a g e visit to discuss potential problems and solutions Day 5-6 Trainee constructs IC in village under supervision Day 7-9 Follow up Day 10 Audiovisual materials reinforce main principles. A manual on ICs is available to the SEWs for a fee of Rs. 12.50. In order to appreciate the NPIC financial structure and monitoring system in Karnataka, it is necessary to be familiar with the state's administrative structure (see Figure 1). Karnataka has a panchayati raj system, that is, a decentralized system of decision making and administration. The state is divided into zillas or districts. These are fairly autonomous; planning, administration, and monitoring of development activities occurs at the zilla parishad (district council). The officers of the parishad are elected. Several committees meet periodically to vote on planned activities and budget allocations. The status of the president of the zilla parishad is on par with that of a minister of the state government. District-level functionaries (such as the district engineer) report to zilla parishad officials rather than to their respective ministries. The next unit of administration is the block. Block development projects are coordinated and implemented by the BDO. H e or she is assisted by a mukhya sevika The mukhya sevika is the "chief" sevika who oversees the work of the gram sevikas. Each block has three or four gram sevikas, and they do much of the village-level ground work for development projects. I n programs like NPIC, much depends on the BDO's level of interest and involvement. There is another administrative unit between the block and the individual village: the rnandal panchayat which consists of a cluster of five or six villages. The zilla parishad is to the mandal panchayat as the state government is to the zilla parishad. There is a general non-interference policy as long as administrative directives and circulars are heeded. Mandal panchayat secretaries have rural development assistants who occupy the final rung in the administrative heirarchy of NPIC in Karnataka. NPIC activities fall within the purview of the zilla parishad's deputy secretary for development activities. H e or she oversees distribution of the district target to the blocks. Once again, this is done on the basis of population and the previous year's achievement. A l l supervisory staff attend day-long management exposure programs once a year. KSCST runs the program for state and division supervisors. Project assistants (chulha supervisors) provide this service for supervisory staff at and below the district level. A t these management exposure programs guidelines for NPIC administration are elaborated and audiovisual materials on the technical aspects of ICs are shown. Table 2 shows the training course targets for 1990-91.

7 Financial structure

In 1990-91, DNES provided Rs. 7.6 million to DRDPR for NPIC. T h e DRDPR transfers funds to the zilla parishads when the central government releases the funds. The timing of this transfer and subsequent movements of funds follow the same pattern as that described under NPIC. The structure of subsidies and the SEW contracts also remain the same. Monitoring and evaluation system The district chulha supervisor is required to check 100 ICs per month and send his/her report to KSCST. A n indication of the rate at which these inspections are conducted can be obtained from Table 1 which gives the total number of ICs checked by the supervisors between 1 April 1990 and 31 December 1990. I n addition, KSCST, block, zilla parishad and state officials periodically conduct field inspections of the ICs. The schedule follows that presented in the NPIC description above. The same pro forma is utilized by the chulha supervisor and KSCST staff for monitoring purposes (Annexe 4). Monitoring data are tabulated on a monthly and yearly basis by the KSCST monitoring supervisor. A collation of the 1989-90 data is presented in Table 3. The chulha supervisor performs simple repairs as needed during his monitoring activities; he informs the SEW concerned about more complicated modifications that might be necessary. Besides these monitoring activities, there have been four evaluations of NPIC's performance in Karnataka, conducted primarily by KSCST and the Indian Institute of Science (See Box 4). A s with the national program, evaluation appears to be conducted on an ad hoc basis. Midstream adjustments Like NPIC, the Karnataka state program has changed and grown over time. There have been and continue to be changes in stove design and construction. Users now have the choice of two- or three-pan ICs or a 2+1 design that has water heating and cooking capabilities. There is a pilot dissemination program to test the viability of prefabricated firedclay stove tops. I f these prove successful, some of the existing problems of breakage and inadvertent design modification may be solved. There does not as yet appear to be a move

towards developing and testing pottery liners for the ASTRA ole.
The structure of the program has also altered with the introduction of SEWs. I t

remains to be seen whether this addition is sufficient to compensate for overburdened staff at
the village level. Further, following a DNES directive, there is an active effort afoot to draw NGOs into the arena. Their involvement may, in the longterm, be the keystone to NPIC effectiveness in rural areas.

8 Apparent problems
Running a national improved stove program in a country as environmentally and culturally diverse as India and which has such a large population of potential users requires an enormous amount of resources and coordination. Establishment and operationalization of

the administrative system itself takes a long period. Many of the problems that appear to characterize NPIC are simply a function of its size and scope. Nonetheless, as mentioned earlier, efforts are being made to learn the lessons of accumulating experience. One major problem inherent in a program the size of NPIC is the huge administrative and personnel requirements, primarily in the field. There is no easy answer to this problem: the current solution relies on SEWs who are essentially village level workers with a myriad tasks besides the building and monitoring of ICs. The task of the SEWs is made more difficult by the conditions under which NPIC operates: 1 ) the annual IC target for a given state may be large but is dispersed geographically. I n many cases, this means that the SEW must travel substantial distances in order to complete his/her contract; 2) the SEW is not reimbursed for travel time or expenses; 3) though a payment schedule for SEWs has been set up, limited feedback from the field shows that remuneration is not reliable after the first payment (See Box 5); 4) funds are often released late in the fiscal year to blocks, leaving only two to three months for the bulk of the target to be met. T h e monthly targets given to the districts also follow this schedule: 50% of the 100,000 ICs to be disseminated in 1990-91 will be installed between January and March 1991. Table 1 shows the progress made in Karnataka between 1 April 1990 and 31 December 1990 at which time only three months remain to achieve targets. I t can be seen that in most districts, a major portion of the work remains to be done. The delay in releasing funds seems to have two causes. First, i f DNES does not receive the Certificate of Utilization for the previous year from the state, it will not release the second payment of funds. This appears to be a bureaucratic hurdle, in the main. Second, further delays may occur at the district level because consensus cannot be reached about how the funds should be allocated among the various blocks. There is much political pressure to distribute funds equally regardless o f the relative need or market for ICs. I t was instructive to learn how the political process works in two zilla parishads: the Bangalore Urban District (BUD) and the Bangalore Rural District (BRD). B U D is small, has no elected officials, and a limited annual budget. There are no committees to debate or vote on development activities. BUD is simply an agency that implements these activities. BRD, on the other hand, is large, has elected officials, and a substantial budget. A n assembly of 59 members meets monthly to examine, debate, and vote on various projects. Nine standing committees present their progress reports. A l l development activities have to be approved by committees as do budget allocations to blocks. BU D 's NPIC progress report shows that 927 ICs had been built by 31 January 1991 out of a target of 1500 for 1990-1991. BR D had disseminated 3807 in the same time period out of a target of 6500. BRD's second installment of funds of Rs. 300,000 were released and cleared for use only in January 1991. Quality control under such time constraints is difficult to achieve.

9 The administrative burden and personnel shortages described above also characterize other levels of NPIC but they are most obvious and damaging at the village level. Those charged with monitoring the program also have many demands on their time. The BRD Planning Officer noted, for instance, that the zilla parishad has to monitor between 300 and 400 currently operating development schemes. There are two deputy secretaries and two assistant secretaries responsible for district development programs under the chief secretary of the zilla parishad. Even granting that not all these schemes are functioning in all blocks, the monitoring task is formidable. I t appears that most monitoring at the district and state level is done on an ad hoc basis. During official visits to villages for whatever reason, functionaries inspect ICs. There is no set method for sample selection at the village or household level. There is no established means for utilizing the monitoring data thus gathered. There do not appear to be funds earmarked for the analysis of these data either. The challenge is to design an effective monitoring system that is not cumbersome, that is not a drain on NPIC. Given NPIC's size and personnel constraints, some of the monitoring procedures are too laborious and therefore ignored in the field. The chulha card while logical in rationale is too time-consuming to fill. I t is not being used in Karnataka, for instance. Conclusions and Recommendations It is time to review NPIC's objectives and its structure and to determine the suitability of the structure for meeting the objectives. NPIC's objectives need to evolve just as NPIC has altered its operations in response to experiences gained. KSCST staff, on the basis of their monitoring activities, have reached the conclusion that there is a discrepancy between users' interests and NPIC's goals. B y and large, users are not concerned about saving fuel. Rather, they would like to reduce smoke levels and keep cooking pots and the kitchen clean. Though NPIC ranks reduction of smoke highly among its objectives, there is no doubt that decreased fuel consumption is its primary concern. Such a disagreement between user interests and program objectives indicates the need for user education and extensive preparatory work prior to program initiation. Given the structure of NPIC funding, and current staffing patterns, there little opportunity for this to occur. One way of improving the situation would be to identify those areas where cooking fuel is scarce and/or expensive, and people perceive the need to conserve fuel, and to focus dissemination, education, and follow-up efforts on these areas. Consolidating the target would help improve effectiveness as well. During the early stages o f the program, there was an attempt to create "smokeless villages," that is, villages in which 75-80% of the households had ICs. This concept is no longer in vogue. Many of the implementation and quality control difficulties might be reduced by consolidating the target i f not to the point of having smokeless villages then at least to where there is a critical mass of users in high priority areas. DNES has formulated guidelines for identifying high priority areas and populations. These are as follows:

1 0 * Scheduled caste areas and households (at least 20% of the target); * Scheduled tribe areas and households (at least 10% of the target); * H i l l y areas, the northeastern region, and islands; * Areas experiencing serious deforestation and fuel scarcity; * Semi-urban areas and slums; * Community kitchens of hospitals, hostels, military and paramilitary forces, religious and charitable institutions, roadside restaurants, hotels, etc. * Commercial/industrial establishments that use wood as fuel. While these are broad guidelines which can be difficult to apply since no decision criteria are specified, they do provide a starting point for selecting NPIC project sites. Consolidating the annual target by focusing on those parts of the country that fall within the parameters laid out in these guidelines would be better than trying to cover every block in the country every year. NPIC, after all, is a longterm project so areas that have lower priority will eventually be selected as well. The guidelines quoted above specifically mention community-scale ICs: the effort in this area could probably be redoubled to great profit. I t was not possible to determine what fraction of ICs installed are community or commercial ICs. According to DNES guidelines, at least one SEW in each block/district is trained in and assigned specially to the dissemination of large-scale ICs. Since the potential for fuel savings is much greater in community or commercial operations and because the incentive to save may be readily appreciated by the user, more may be accomplished by diverting NPIC program attention to these large-scale operations. This has been the conclusion of Dr. Lokras, co-designer of the ASTRA ole, after obtaining preliminary field results of 40% savings using community-scale ASTRA oles in small-scale processing of areca and cashew nuts. There is little incontrovertible evidence that NPIC is at present achieving either of its two main objectives: reduction of fuel consumption and removal of smoke. Mo st of the evaluations that have tried to estimate achievement of these objectives have relied on surveys of user perceptions. The many problems associated with this method will not be discussed here; suffice to say that questions remain regarding the relationship between reported perceptions and reality. Field measurements o f actual fuel consumption or smoke levels have been few and far between. Field data on fuel consumption show a wide range of efficiencies. This points not only to the difficulties of controlling quality in construction and disseminating suitable operating and maintenance procedures but also to the inherent limitations of mud stove technology. Table 4 shows the results of recent waterboiling tests done on 20 ICs in Karnataka; the efficiencies range from 8% to 35%. Field evidence of smoke removal of ICs is similarly inconclusive. I f anything, limited evidence (Ramakristma et al., 1989) shows that women cooking on ICs are exposed to levels of air pollution akin to those to which women using traditional stoves are exposed. Problems remain both of technology and technology transfer. I f these could be resolved, NPIC might achieve its goals. The problems of technology are difficult to surmount given the constraints: any technology developed must be affordable to a population with

11

extremely limited disposable income and with no past history of purchasing cookstoves (in most cases). A t the same time, the IC must allow people to continue their traditional cooking practices. I n certain areas, this poses a special problem; for instance, where the staple food is rod, the cook requires access to the combustion chamber and the height of the chamber may be determined by the size of the rod. I n the final analysis, all parameters-- flexibility, efficiency, high power, low power, smoke removal, low cost, ease of operation-- cannot be maximized simultaneously: some compromise is essential. The technology transfer issue has its own complexities. Though DNES directives urge state governments to call upon NGOs in implementing NPIC this does not appear to happen with any frequency. Indeed, many of the NGOs that were involved in NPIC's early stages seem to have withdrawn. Karnataka, in fact, only this year is trying to assign 20% o f the target to NG0s. KSCST conducted its first training course for NGO stove builders last year at the request of the Rural Education Development Society in Tunakur. The reluctance seems to be mutual: the state governments would like to retain control over DNES funds while NCTOs have to weigh the benefits of having their IC programs externally funded against having to deal with NPIC's bureaucratic tangle. This is unfortunate since the technology transfer problem may be eased by the active involvement of NG0s. These organizations have the personnel, the commitment, and the longterm involvement with user groups to manage the burdens of education, monitoring and follow up. Both halves of the equation need to be present: a sound technology and a sound means of transferring that technology. This was illustrated during a field trip to the Social Work Research Centre in Khori, Haryana. SWRC is an NGO with all the skills, facilities and dedication necessary to run an ICP. B u t a mud IC is still a mud stove and is prone to "design drift." W e visited a village where both SWRC and NPIC had been installing ICs. There were two main differences between households that had had ICs built under the two programs. Those who had. interacted with SWRC still had the IC in place and in operation: much altered, not saving fuel (by their own admission), and not visibly "smokeless". The SWRC households expressed satisfaction with their ICs regardless, a response that is probably indicative of their good rapport with SWRC. The NPIC households had reverted to their traditional stoves and had little positive to say about the IC they had had. Perhaps there is some merit to the argument that in the long run, it is better to introduce "the best possible" product even i f that means it cannot be subsidized: people will adopt a technology i f is a perceptible improvement over what they had previously and may even be willing to pay for it but in order for that to happen they have to be offered a sound product that meets their needs.

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13

Table 1 NPIC district targets and achievements in Karnataka state, 1990-91 District Target 31 March '91 1500 6500 6000 4000 4000 6000 6000 4000 8000 6000 6000 4000 2000 4000 4000 6000 4000 4000 8000 6000 100,000 Achievement 31 December '90 795 3314 2000 2209 876 904 1660 25 663 1142 650 1247 2037 2166 250 497 3814 1800 26,049* Total ICs Inspected 1April '90-31 Dec. '90 153 77 162 670 314

Bangalore, Urban Bangalore, Rural Belgaum Bellary Bidar Bijapur Chitradurga Chikmaglore Dakshin Kannada Dharwad Gulbarga Hassan Kodagu Kolar Mandya Mysore Ralchur Shimoga Tumkur Uttara Kannada STATE TOTAL

28 91 83 408 645 645 104 3380

*This total includes 5139 portable metal stoves installed in six districts. These account for almost 20% of the total. Source: KSCST records.

14

Table 2 Karnataka Targets for Training Courses, 1990-91 Tyne of course T a r g e t

Regular training of SEWs/potters 4 Refresher training of SEWs 2 5 Management training for officers & field functionaries State 2 Division 5 25 D i st r i ct Source: DNES, 1990.

Table 3 Summary of NPIC Progress, Karnataka, April 1989-March 1990 Status of IC Using Altered and using Rarely using Not using Dismantled TOTAL Scheduled Castes and Tribes Total Percent 2-pan 3-pan 971 5 6 . 3 8 3 7 1 3 4 208 45 161 340 1 2 .1 2 .6 9 .3 1 9 .7 178 3 0 2 8 1 7 147 1 4 298 4 2 All others Total Percent 2-pan 3-pan 1464 68.1 1 1 5 1 313 287 1 3 .3 96 4 . 5 174 8 . 1 130 6 . 0 2151 1 0 0 171 1 1 6 81 1 5 153 2 1 72 5 8 1628 523 Total Total Percent 2-pan 3-pan 2435 6 2 .8 1 9 8 8 4 4 7 495 1 2 . 8 141 3 . 6 335 8 . 6 470 1 2 . 2 349 109 300 370 146 32 35 100

1725 1 0 0 1 4 8 8 2 3 7

3876 1 0 0 3 1 1 6 7 6 0

Source: KSCST records.

15

Table 4 Summary of Water-boiling Field Test Results for ICs, Karnataka Household S t o v e Economic Family E ffi c i e n c y ID T y n e Sta tu s S i z e o f Stove (%) Remarks K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 Si S2 S3 2+1 2+1 2+1 2+1 2+1 2+1 2+1 2+1 2 pan 2 pan 2 pan MDF MIRF MRF LF MDF MRF SF LF LF LF MRF 6 2/5 3/3 3/1 4/1 4/3 3 3/1 12 3 3/3 35 26 33 25 33 33 19 25 21 14 12 * Pan & hole relationship satisfactory; small gap between 1st pan bridge and firebox resulting in partial leakage of smoke. * Pan & hole relationship bad. * Pan & hole relationship quite satisfactory. * Pan & hole relationship bad; gap between pan & hole resulting in partial leakage of smoke. * Pan & hole relationship bad. * Pan & hole relationship very bad; clearance below vessel bottom was high. * Pan & hole relationship very bad; gap between first pan bridge and firebox lid. * Pan & hole relationship bad; clearnce below vessel was high. * No firebox lid or lid to ash removal inlet; chimney is 3" dia. asbestos cement pipe. * First pan bridge is slightly broken; pan & hole relationship very bad. * Pan & hole relationship very bad; primary air hole big; no secondary air hole; clearances below vessels significantly high; pan between pan and hole. * Pan & hole relationship very bad; clearance below vessel high. * Pan & hole relationship very bad; gap between hole and pan; with firebox lid and mud chimney; gap between first pan bridge and firebox lid. * Pan & hole relationship very bad; no firebox lid ash removal inlet lid; 4" dia asbestos cement chimney; fiat-bottomed vessel used on first pan. * No firebox lid or ash removal inlet lid; mud chimney; pan & hole relationship very bad.

S4 S5

3 pan 3 pan

M IN MDF

6 4/1

16 15

S6

2 pan

MRF

11

S7

2 pan

SF

15

16

Table 4 (Continued) Household S t o v e Economic Family E ffi c i e n c y ID T y p e Sta tu s S i z e o f Stove (%) Remarks S8 3 pan MRF 4 25 * With firebox lid, ash removal inlet lid & mud chimney; pan & hole relationship very bad; primary air hole too big; gap between hole & pan. * With firebox lid, ash removal inlet lid, & mud chimney. * Without lids to firebox & ash removal inlet; with 4" dia asbestos cement chimney; pan & hole relationship very bad; entrance to first pan is restricted. * Firebox lid and grate badly damaged; pan & hole relationship very bad; clearance below vessels high. * Pan & hole relationship bad; clearance below vessels is high; 2" dia exit pipe is fixed at entrance to chimney (4" dia asbestos cement pipe).

S9 S10

2 pan 2 pan

MRF MDF

3 2/2

18 30

GM1 GM2

2 pan 2 pan

MDF MDF

3 2/2

9 23

NOTES: A l l these stoves are based on the general ASTRA ole design. The 2+1 is a modified ASTRA ole where the third pan is adapted for heating water. The codes for economic status are as follows: MDF = medium farmer; M U ' = marginal farmer; LF = large farmer; and SF = small farmer. Source: KSCST records.

17

Box 1: Evaluation of NPIC in Uttar Pradesh At the request o f DNES, the Girl Institute o f Development Studies, Lucknow, conducted an evaluation of improved chulhas in rural Uttar Pradesh (UP). The study was done i n four districts i n the central and eastern regions o f UP: Lucknow, Barabanld, Ghazipur, and Azamgarh. The districts were chosen because the maximum number of ICs had been installed there. Three villages were selected in each district, based on the same criterion. I n each village, 68 households with ICs and 18 houses with traditional stoves were surveyed between March and May 1987. Households were randomly selected; landholding and social groups were taken into consideration. In these districts four agencies had installed ICs: NEDA (Non-Conventional Energy Development Agency, UP), LORP (Labour Organization for the Rural Poor), ETC (Extension Training Centre), and CBRDARC (Chandra Banu Rural Development Agency and Research Centre). I t is quite interesting to compare the performance of these implementing agencies. N ED A and ETC are government and semi-government agencies. LORP and CBRDARC are voluntary organizations. NEDA and CBRDARC had disseminated ICs in the central region sample households (83% and 17%) while LORP and ETC had equal portions of the work in the eastern region. In UP as a whole, 67% o f the ICs have been installed by NEDA and 33% by NG0s. Table A below shows the relative performance of the different agencies in the study sample: Agency NEDA CBRDARC LORP ETC No. ICs installed 340 68 204 204 No. ICs in use 122 28 164 100 % ICs in use 36 68 80 49

The statistics indicate that users do not replace their old ICs with new ICs; they revert to their traditional stoves instead: Year of N o . ICs N o . ICs % ICs instAllation i n sample i n use i n use at time of survey

1985
1986 1987

138 627 51

50 340 42

36 54 82 Continued...

18

Box I (Continued) Reasons for disuse have been tabulated both by implementing agency and in straight frequencies. Either method o f tabulation shows that the majority o f the householders said that the IC takes more fuel than the traditional stove. Oth e r reasons mentioned less frequently (in relative terms) are that smoke was not eliminated, the IC was not "compatible", and that it takes more time. Data were also collected on the extent to which householders had modified the IC. Ou t of the total sample of 816 ICs, 374 had been modified (46%). The most common alterations included changing of the pot hole size, removal of the chimney, and o f the dampers. T h e feeding chamber had also been changed in the ICs installed by CBRDARC. These modifications were tabulated according to the educational status o f the household head (not of the cook), ranging from illiterate to postgraduate degree and there appears to be no relationship. Regardless o f educational status, 43-48% o f the users had modified the IC. Th e ICs built by NGOs seemed to slightly less prone to modification, though the range is quite wide: CBRDARC (27%), ETC (40%), and LORP (43%) compared to NEDA (55%). N ot surprisingly, the modified ICs had a higher percentage of use (90%) than those that were not modified (21%). The evaluation study concluded. that NPIC had met its objectives but that because of improper implementation and lack of monitoring the ICs were not fulfilling their potential. Th e implementing agencies were found to be target driven and hence inadequately concerned about the quality of their dissemination efforts. Improved monitoring was recommended along with user education and training, and follow-up services. I n addition, campaigns promoting ICs were suggested to create and maintain interest in the stoves.

19

Box 2: Evaluation of NPIC in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal

Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) was asked to evaluate NPIC activities between 1984.1987 in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal; in 1987, these states were given the first, second and third prizes respectively for quality and quantity of ICs installed. A s part of their evaluation, TERI surveyed perceptions, measured fuel consumption, conducted water-boiling tests (WBTs), cooking tests, and kitchen performance tests (KPTs). T h e findings are summarized here. There were large variations in acceptability of ICs among and within the evaluation sites. Furthermore, TERI did not find any correlation between level of acceptability and fuel scarcity, literacy, o r economic status o f the user. T h e y concluded that user education and the competence of IC builders had the most impact on IC acceptability. In this regard, they found that many users were not familiar with IC maintenance procedures (such as chimney cleaning) and principles of operation (such as the purpose of the baffles). Modifications had been made in all the evaluation sites to a greater or lesser degree. Users ranked smoke removal as the primary benefit of ICs; a majority of the users reported fuel savings as well. Actual field measurements of fuel utilization efficiency are equivocal: fu e l savings were observed in two out of five villages. The tables below provide an overview of the extent and mode o f IC usage. # ICs installed Tamil Nadu 1984-85 1985-86 1986-87 Rajasthan 1984-85 1985-86 1986-87 West Bengal 1984-85 1985-86 1986-87 891 1427 311 1044 3102 786 465 286 418 # ICs # ICs in use demolished a s installed modified 514 734 108 373 568 166 421 226 279 227 464 183 228 1545 550 42 50 116 150 229 20 442 989 71 2 10 23 Total ICs in use % o f installed 42 49 65 64 82 79 9.5 21 33

From these data, it is difficult to say whether the number of users modifying their ICs is increasing or decreasing. I t does appear, however, that the percentage of users (in total) has been increasing over the years. The sample size in 1 9 8 6 be tentative. Also, the ICs in that sample were only just installed; usually there is a critical six month period 8 7 i s s before m a lpeople l , make s the odecision whether to adopt the IC or not. t h a t Continued... c o n c l u s i o n h a s t o

20

Box 2 (Continued)

The findings of the kitchen performance tests are given below. Energy consumption (M.TiadulUday) TC IC Tamil Nadu Village 1 Village 2 Rajasthan Village 1 West Bengal Village 1 Village 2 17.6 4.5 (14) CVx = 0.26 21.3 7.9 (10) CVx 0 . 3 7 21.1 8.6 (11) CVx = 0.41 27.4 12.6 (14) CVx 0 . 4 6 21.5 12.2 (15) CVx 0 . 5 7 15.6 4.7 (8) CVx = 0.30 14.0 5.3 (10) CVx = 0.38 17.3 4.1 (12) CVx = 0.24 34.2 9.8 (14) CVx = 0.29 23 8.7 (13) CVx 0 . 3 8

%Savings -12 -62

-21.8

19.8 6.3

Note: Th e figures in parentheses indicate the number of households in which the tests were conducted. The test was repeated four to five times in each household.

21

Box 3: Evaluation of NPIC in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka The Operations Research Group (ORG) conducted the third evaluation o f NPIC at DNES' request. They were assigned the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. In choosing their study sites, ORG first identified the three districts with the "best" performances in each state (determined by the number o f ICs installed by the end o f December 1986), and then the three best blocks in each district. The villages in each block were sorted into three categories (good, average, and poor performances). Six villages were then selected in each block, two from each category. I n each study village 35 households were chosen, 25 with ICs and 10 with traditional stoves. Selection criteria for households are not specified. Th e data presented here were gathered in a survey conducted in early 1987. A trained investigator visited five or six households in each village and noted the condition of the IC. Informal interviews provided additional information. From their study of user characteristics, ORG concluded that a greater effort had been made to reach the disadvantaged in Gujarat and Karnataka. I n all fairness, i t should be noted that in the Maharashtra study districts, members of scheduled tribes and castes made up only four to six percent of the general population. Different IC models were introduced in the three states. The Nada and Sahayog chulhas in Gujarat, Magan and Pragati in Maharashtra, and ASTRA in Karnataka. A greater percentage of Sahayog and Pragati chulhas than Nada and Magan chulhas were found to be in working order during the survey. The table below shows the overall survey results. (in percent) State W o r k i n g (in use) D e mo l i sh e d 51.4 4 7 . 1 Gujarat (n=1347) 39.4 5 5 . 6 Maharashtra (n=1321) 77.4 1 9 . 1 Karnataka (n=1329) An important difference among the three states is that NGOs installed 69% of the ICs in Gujarat. I n Maharashtra and Karnataka, all ICs had been installed by the state government. N GOs appeared to have a greater success with ICs than their government counterparts in Gujarat; 54% of ICs installed by NGOs were working compared to 43% of those installed by government agencies. One-third of all ICs surveyed in Gujarat and Maharashtra were demolished within six months of construction. One eighth of ICs in Karnataka met a similar fate in the same time period. I n Gujarat and Maharashtra the top two reasons for demolishing the IC were increased fuel consumption and difficulty in preparing certain foods. I n Maharashtra, increase in cooking time was a close third. Those who demolished their ICs in Karnataka complained similarly regarding increased fuel consumption. Another common complaint was that the IC had been damaged. About 14% o f existing, working ICs had been modified in Gujarat and Maharashtra. This figure was 21% in Karnataka. Th e most common modification was removal of the chimney in Gujarat and Maharashtra. In Karnataka, the firebox lid was removed. Overall, there were few instances where the IC had been modified prior to demolition. Continued...

22

Box 3 (Continued) The majority of respondents in all three states said that the IC decreased smoke in the kitchen (the greatest convenience identified) and increased fuel consumption (the worst / problem identified). Hence, they reported no reduction in fuel collection time. T h e majority of Karnataka users said that cooking time had been reduced. Most people said that saved time was used to attend to household tasks. OR G reports that in Karnataka the IC was retained and used even when it consumed more fuel. The authors speculate that this may be because the increase in fuel consumption was marginal. The survey results regarding user education and followup are mixed. Gujarat had the highest percentage (80%) of users who had been trained by the chulha builder in the use, maintenance and repair of their ICs. Maharashtra had the lowest (35%). Most Karnataka users said they had received training in use and maintenance but only 41% had been informed how to repair their ICs. M o s t Karnataka users had not received any followup visits. I n comparison, between 55% and 65% Gujarat and Maharashtra users had received at least two followup visits. On l y 40% o f the Karnataka users said that the chulha mistry w . as easily available i n case o f need (as opposed to 77% and 56% fo r Gujarat and Maharashtra). Y e t, more ICs were found to be working in Karnataka than in the other states. Based on their fmdings, ORG recommended the greater involvement of NGOs in the implementation of NPIC, the introduction of SEWs to relieve the burden on mukhya sevikas in Maharashtra and Karnataka, the removal of dampers from most IC models, the promotion of ICs of different sizes (one, two and three potholes), the development and dissemination of prefabricated pottery liners fo r ICs, and the disbursement o f funds fo r publicity campaigns.

23

Box 4: Evaluations of ICs in Karnataka Ravindranath et al. (1989) present a concise summary of past evaluations of the ICP in Karnataka. They compare the outcomes of microlevel dissemination efforts in one village (Ungra) and the statewide dissemination program. The "Ungra Study" is a longitudinal one conducted in a relatively small number of households in 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1988. A much larger study was conducted in the three food zones o f the state in 1986. Since the data were collected by the Karnataka Rajya Vignana Parishad this is called the "KRVP study". I n 1987, data were gathered in three districts each of which represent one of the food zones. This is called the "intensive study". Finally, an extensive study was conducted in 40 blocks of 14 districts in 1988. This is called the "Karnataka study". The Karnataka study showed that 60% o f the stove disseminated were being used. Though the Ungra study also showed a decline in stove use over time (100% in 1984, 84% in 1988), this change was not as drastic. The detailed results are shown below. Study Ungra Year 1984 1985 1986 1988 1986 1987 1988 Sample size 150 450 450 450 2201 351 3294 % in use 100 97 91.5 84 79.6 65 60 Age of IC 6 (months) 18 30 45

KRVP Intensive Karnataka

In three of the studies, fuel conservation was measured by comparing per capita daily fuel use of ICs and traditional stoves over three to seven days. These data show decreasing fuel conservation over time in Ungra (47% savings in 1985, 33% in 1986). I n the larger surveys, the IC was shown to have a much lower fuel-conserving capability (19% savings). In opinion surveys, users were asked to evaluate the IC's performance in terms o f fuel consumption, smoke reduction and time savings. The results are shown below. ICRVP study Intensive study Karnataka study 1986; (n =280) 1 9 8 7 ; (n=86) 1988; (n=3294) percent of households 82 10 8 94 6 93 3 4 64 24 12 80 20 66 24 10 28 27 45 79 21 43 26 31 Continued...

Performance measure Fuel consumption (%) Less Same More Smoke in the kitchen No smoke Smokey Cooking time Less Same M,

24

Box 4 (Continued) The authors believe that the benefits accruing from the ICP in Karnataka could be greatly enhanced by some alterations to stove design and to the organizational structure of the program. Their recommend that IC models that are more appropriate to the different food zones in Karnataka be developed and disseminated and that measures be taken to eliminate the vulnerability of the existing model's stove top to cracking and breakage. The stove program itself has suffered the ill-effects o f target chasing, lack of quality control, overburdened and under-trained supervisory staff, and a lack of user education. The pacing of program activities is such that the bulk of the work is done in the last quarter of the fiscal year. This leaves little opportunity for the pre- and post-installation activities that are often critical to user acceptance. Th e authors note that IC usage is particularly low among households belonging to scheduled castes and tribes (see Table 3) and suggest that the 100% subsidy offered to these users may be partially responsible. Accordingly, they recommend that no household receive a 100% subsidy for the IC.

25

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people gave generously of their time and experience during the preparation of this report, including Dr. Veena Joshi (TERI), Drs. A.R. Shukla and B.M.L. Garg (DNES), the staff at the TBU at IIT, Delhi, Dr. P.P. Gusain (Development Alternatives), Mr. Sunderlal (SWRC, Khori Centre), Dr. N.H. Ravindranath (Center for Ecological Smdies/ASTRA, Indian Institute of Science), Drs. R. Shailaja, K.S. Jagadish, Lokras, and Gandhi (ASTRA), Messrs. Rajagopal, Dinesh, and Shivkumar (KSCST), Mr. Kampapuru Math (DRDPR), Messrs. Hanumanthappa and Dinikar Babu (BRD Zilla Parishad) and Mr. Shivram (BUD Zilla Parishad). Needless to say, they bear no responsibility for any errors or opinions this report may contain. REFERENCES Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources (ONES), Ministry of Energy, Government of India (1990). Memorandum regarding implementing of the National Programme on Improved Chulhas-- Administrative Approval 1990-91. ONES, Circular No. 403/1/90-IC, New Delhi. Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources (ONES), Ministry o f Energy, Government of India (1990). Annual Report, 1989-1990. DNES, New Delhi. Operations Research Group (ORG) (undated). Evaluation of national chulha programme in selected districts in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. ORG, Baroda. Pande, P.N., and P.S. Garia (1987). Evaluation of improved chulhas in rural areas: A case study of Uttar Pradesh. Gin i Institute of Development Studies, LucIcnow. Ravindranath, N.H., R. Shailaja and A. Revankar (1989). Dissemination and evalution of fuel efficient and smokeless ASTRA stove in Karnataka. Environment Monitor 5(2): 48-60. Ravindranath, N.H., D.S. Sudhakar Babu, R. Shailaja (1989). Conservation of biomass: Potential of a fuel efficient woodstove. Energy Management, April-June, pp. 14-20. Ravindranath, N.H., D.S. Sudhakar Babu, R. Shailaja,, and KS. Jagadish (undated). Cooking practices using ASTRA stove in different food zones of Karnataka. Unpublished paper of the Centre for the Application of Science and Technology to Rural Areas, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Tata Energy Research Institute ('fERI) (1989) Evaluation of improved chulha programme in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and West Bengal. TER I, New Delhi.