By Michel Nkurunziza
The Rwandan government is set to commission a study on the possibilities of using methane gas for cooking.
The Government’s plan, which was disclosed at a meeting with development partners on Tuesday, is informed by the fact that most Rwandans still rely on wood fuel for cooking.
Officials at the Ministry of Environment said the move could help reduce reliance on wood fuel from 80 per cent to 40 per cent by 2024.
Overreliance on wood fuel constitutes a health concern, causing respiratory diseases due to air pollution.
According to the Ministry of Health, more than three million Rwandans suffer from respiratory problems every year, of which 13 per cent is caused by air pollution.
In 2017, deaths linked to poor air quality reached 12,000, the ministry says.
Over 9,040 deaths out of 12,000 were due to indoor air pollution and 2,960 due to ambient air pollution, statistics indicate.
Eng. Coletha Ruhamya, the Director-General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), said that exploring the possibilities of using methane gas for cooking was a timely intervention.
“We have identified sectors which stakeholders can put in their efforts to protect the environment and fight against climate change.
“Methane gas does not only provide electricity, it can be used for other purposes such as cooking as well. But we need a feasibility study for that and those who can implement the project,” she said.
She was speaking while presenting Rwanda’s action plan on combating global warming to development partners in Kigali.
The plan was developed by the Government of Rwanda as a country-driven climate action plan to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Rwanda ratified the Paris agreement in 2016.
Clean energy is one of the priorities of the action plan.
The Ministry of Environment says that if no substantive action is taken to mitigate global climate change, it is predicted that the average temperature in Rwanda will rise by 2.5°C by the middle of the century…Read more>>
