UNHCR has launched a broad campaign to distribute clean-burning gas stoves and cylinders to Rohingya refugees, to provide safe means for families to cook and to stem deforestation in the surrounding forests in Bangladesh.
UNHCR has launched a broad campaign to distribute clean-burning gas stoves and cylinders to Rohingya refugees, to provide safe means for families to cook and to stem deforestation in the surrounding forests in Bangladesh.
In a major step to tackle deforestation in the Rohingya refugee settlements, UNHCR has begun a full-scale programme to distribute energy-efficient LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) cooking stoves and cylinders, aiming to reach all Rohingya refugee households in its operational areas and some of the poorest host communities living nearby.
The programme hopes to reach at least 60,000 households by the end of the year. Refugees and many host communities have been almost entirely reliant on firewood for cooking. It has been estimated that at least 700 metric tonnes of wood – equivalent to four football fields – have been cut every day for use as firewood.
UNHCR had been helping to mitigate the environmental impact by providing monthly distributions of Compressed Rice Husks (CRH) to 95,000 refugee families, but it has been insufficient for all their cooking needs. As part of the distributions, refugees will receive hands-on training on how to safely use the LPG cylinders and stoves. They will also be entitled to regular gas refills at monthly periods. (UNHCR)
