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Experts Say PNG Rollout To 111 Villages In Delhi A Crucial Step
- Expanding Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections to 111 villages in Delhi is a crucial step towards providing clean cooking fuel to marginalized communities, according to experts.
- Kalpana Balakrishnan, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health in India, emphasized the significance of this initiative in addressing the needs of socio-economically underprivileged households.
- The partnership between the Delhi government, Indraprastha Gas Limited, and other gas distribution companies aims to replace traditional biomass and LPG use with cleaner and safer piped gas connections.
- The plan includes connecting all 357 villages in Delhi to the PNG network by the end of 2025.
- Experts stress the importance of scaling up clean cooking programs to reduce health risks associated with indoor air pollution from biomass fuels.
- The PNG expansion targets over 1 lakh households in low-income communities that have lacked access to clean cooking fuels, contributing to Delhi's pollution burden.
- While initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana have improved access to LPG cylinders, sustainable transitions to clean cooking remain a challenge for many beneficiaries.
- Affordability, safety awareness, and community support are crucial for the sustained use of PNG in rural areas, particularly for poor women who face health risks due to indoor air pollution.
- Air pollution remains a major global health concern, with India and China recording significant fatalities due to pollution-related diseases.
- Improving access to clean cooking fuels like PNG can help reduce indoor air pollution-related deaths, especially among vulnerable populations like women and children.
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