Premium
Fuelwood Use in the Cities of the Developing World: Two Case Studies from India
Author(s) -
ALAM MANZOOR,
DUNKERLEY JOY,
REDDY AMULYA KUMAR
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
natural resources forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1477-8947
pISSN - 0165-0203
DOI - 10.1111/j.1477-8947.1985.tb01060.x
Subject(s) - deforestation (computer science) , distribution (mathematics) , geography , developing country , agricultural economics , rural area , socioeconomics , business , environmental protection , economic growth , economics , mathematics , political science , mathematical analysis , computer science , programming language , law
A number of studies of traditional fuel supply and demand in rural areas of developing countries have been undertaken, but little has been done to make comparable studies for urban populations. This paper reports on two studies undertaken on fuelwood supplies, their transporation and distribution and utilization in the Indian cities of Bangalore and Hyderabad. Substantial amounts of fuelwood—200 000 tonnes in Hyderabad and 450 000 tonnes in Bangalore—are consumed. Seventy‐eight percent of the fuelwood is consumed by households where it is a major source of energy for cooking and heating for low income families. While the researchers did not visit the forest areas which are the source of fuelwood, the quantity consumed is so large as to indicate that deforestation is possibly severe. Recommendations are made to deal with the problem.