Evaluation of the national program on using Improved Cookstoves (ICs) in the three states of India - Gujarat, Maharashtra and Haryana, and related health issues as a result of indoor air pollution.

Indoor air pollution is responsible for many health related disorders especially among women and children in developing countries. Crude estimates suggest that 500,000 women and children die from Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) each year. WII reviewed and systematically evaluated the cookstoves program in the three states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Haryana, in India, and drew on that experience to determine the key success factors of the program in each state, identify the best practices to be emulated in future projects, and identify those factors that should be avoided.

WII has a special responsibility towards the vulnerable sections of the society, aiming at integrating the principles of environmental justice in each and every aspect of its work. WII works on IAP in an attempt to help address the health problems directly associated with IAP.

Following primary and secondary research related to Improved Cookstoves (ICs) in the three states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Haryana, WII collected and analyzed data to determine the key factors responsible for the success of the IC program in the three states and identified factors that led to problems in the way of successful implementation of the program Three reports, one on each state, detailing the findings of the research undertaken, are available with the World Bank and WII’s office in New Delhi.