Project Detail

BACIP-Built Environment Improvement Programme in Sindh

In rural Sindh, there are a number of problems associated with the design and construction practices of houses. In addition, problems related to energy conservation and fuel efficiency, kitchen smoke, dust, water logging and salinity, unsafe water, inadequate sanitation, animals and humans living together, unhygienic conditions near houses and in general lack of awareness related to environmental problems are common in the region.

Realizing the need, BACIP was extended to rural Sindh in 2001 and is referred to as BACIP-Sindh. To-date under this program, six products / technologies have been developed and over 300 BACIP products installed to-date while research work on 8 products / technologies are under progress. A camp office has being set-up in Sujawal. Eight of these products (4 developed and 4 under development) are designed to enhance the energy conservation, fuel efficiency and thermal efficiency of the rural houses complementing firewood and forest conservation practices and reducing smoke emission into the environment.

Community Health Sciences (CHS) department of Aga Khan University (AKU) has recently carried out an evaluation of smoke free stoves installed by BACIP-Sindh. The preliminary results suggest that smoke free stoves are socially acceptable, technically efficient, reduce fuel wood requirement (average 30%), reduces CO2 and smoke in kitchen and produce better environment, impacting particularly women and children.

Majority of the villages; 89.7% in rural Sindh and 92.3% in project area (Thatta, Hyderabad and Badin districts) use firewood for cooking purpose. Less than 1.5% of the people in the project area have access to natural gas. Only 4.0% of the people use kerosene oil for cooking. The problem related to use of firewood is widely prevalent, causing environment, health and economic problems and hardship for the poor rural communities, particularly women.

BACIP has the research and development capacity to develop appropriate solutions for different problems that are affordable, socially acceptable and technically effective. (Smoke free stoves costs Rs. 250, stove with heat exchanger costs Rs 1,000, Fanus costs Rs. 150 and Muhafiz costs Rs. 300). The cost of smoke free stoves is recoverable in less than three months time; considering 30% fuel efficiency and a household using approximately Rs. 300 fuel wood per month. Smoke free stoves and other house improvement products developed by BACIP-Sindh have great potential for mass replication. Timely introduction of BACIP products, particularly related to energy conservation and fuel efficiency, will contribute significantly to forest and environmental conservation.

Due to resource constraints, BACIP presently does not have the capacity to promote its products widely, nor could it train entrepreneurs for sustainable replication. Thus, in order to extract maximum impact from BACIP products, the program needs to develop product promotion models for demonstration purpose so that the communities and policy makers could see the benefits themselves. It also needs to concentrate on building capacities through training of artisans and other entrepreneurs, undertake promotion activities and disseminate its research findings to professionals from other NGOs, other institutions and the government.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Aga Khan Foundation Pakistan

Country:

Pakistan

Area Of Work:

Climate Change Mitigation

Operational Phase:

Phase 2

Grant Amount:

US$ 49,994.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 255,059.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

Project Number:

PAK/02/41

Start Date:

3/2003

End Date:

6/2004

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Gender Focus

As users, and generally with prevailing responsibility of maintaining household expenses and household infrastructure (in terms of minor repairs and cleaning), and sometimes with additional responsibility of maintaining housing stock and other related activities, women are the main target, and the main beneficiaries of these interventions. Women would be encouraged to assist and guide BACIP-BEIP on siting and selecting locations for installation of energy efficient products and technological interventions. Women will also be involved in construction and usage of improved household products. Also, informal education to women on domestic health and hygiene with particular focus on indoor smoke related hazards would be imparted. Possibility of establishing women entrepreneurs through specialised training will also be investigated with women of the local communities. Thus, women would be involved in all aspects of programmatic delivery and gender would be a cross cutting issue for all programme activities. The overall scenario makes a substantial impact on women?s life, particularly health, hygiene and indoor comfort conditions in and around the household environment.

Capacity - Building Component

Local entrepreneurs and artisans will be provided on the job training, and mobile training, during the construction of these demonstration model sites. Already established artisans (masons) of the community enjoying good technical reputation will be trained as master-craftsmen. Other artisans of a lower level of skills would be targeted as assistants or sub-contractors of the master-craftsmen. The speedy and efficient training process will assist in ensuring local capacity building for self-replication for future applications. Overall, an anticipated 30 to 40 entrepreneurs and artisans are expected to be trained in all such skills. In addition, local material suppliers (entrepreneurs) will be trained for storage and supply of required quality materials for the future requirement for construction of interventions similar to demonstration units.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

Promotional activities will include awareness campaigns through field level briefing sessions, on the site demonstrations, workshops, mini models, leaflets, media, and institutional collaborations with local CBO?s and community participation on a self help basis. These promotional activities will focus on the social, economical, environmental and financial benefits of installing and adopting energy efficient products and home improvement technologies in the community household. These promotional activities will be undertaken through active involvement of women of the community, such as in the design, implementation, feedback and modification of promotional strategy if and when required.

Notable Community Participation

Though some demonstration models will initially be installed at the organisational cost, the promotional activities will also aim to encourage the community members to install such models at the actual cost and out of their own pockets. Awareness and promotion of the long-run social and environmental benefits of such interventions would be an integral part of such a strategy. This promotional strategy will also include dissemination of a ?self-replicating mechanism? for the adoption of energy efficient products in local communities.

Project Results

Products Generated by the Project

A total of 13 different products and technologies (4 previously developed and 9 developed during the project) were installed. There were 621 installed units, of which 553 were from the 4 products developed earlier and 68 units from the 9 developed during the course of the project. Installation was in 20 villages.

The products installed were: Lamp (Fanoos), Smokeless Stove, Energy Efficient Water Warming Facility, Food and Vegetable Preserver (Mohafiz), Low Cost Energy Efficient House, Biogas Plant, Clay Chimney, Wire-reinforced Brick Block, Pyramidal Roof, Compressed Earth Block, Solar Water Desalination, Arched Foundation. The first 4 products listed were developed in the pre-project phase, and remaining 9 during the project. Other than the last three items all were inspected during the evaluation.

There were 419 demonstration units and the remaining 202 were installed by the community themselves ? total installed units were 621.

The energy efficient low cost house incorporates all the energy efficient products. Five such houses were built for villagers with the owners paying a significant fraction of the cost. One such house was constructed as a demo and test facility in Sujawal.

Product manuals prepared that provides detailed information about each product developed and introduced. A written community mobilization strategy was developed. A large number of papers, handouts and reports were developed and are in the List of Documents at the end.
Local entrepreneurs and artisans were provided on the job training and mobile training during the construction of the demonstration models. Already established artisans (masons) were trained as master-crafts-persons. Overall 127 entrepreneurs and artisans ? of which 40 were women - were imparted skills. 21 trainees, who were monitored, made cumulative earnings of Rs 0.285 million.

Women helped in selecting sites for the installation of products and in constructing and using them. The village committees had 100 women members. Special training workshops were conducted for women about manufacturing the smokeless stoves, clay chimney and the water warming facility. 55 women were trained for manufacturing these products.

Among the health benefits are (a) reduced smoke related diseases, (b) reduction in burns.

Overall about 13,000 people benefited directly or indirectly from the project through participation in various events, trainings and product manufacture and/or use.

The project helped to increase self-esteem of the households because of cleaner in-house environment.

Increased environmental awareness especially among women and movement of women outside their own villages for exposure visits.

General saving in incomes of families resulted through savings on heating, cooking, lighting and through low-cost construction techniques.

The low cost of building the economy house resulted in savings of Rs 420,000. The annual expense for fuel wood decreased by Rs 1.9M. By not using kerosene for lighting and instead using the Fanoos an annual saving of Rs 0.15M resulted.

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