KAILALI: Hemraj Chaudhary of Bhajani Municipality-9, who had long relied on firewood from a nearby community forest to cook meals, is now free from that compulsion.
Thanks to the Om Shanti Community Forest, Hemraj received a gas stove and cylinder, bringing much-needed relief to his household.
Like Hemraj, 180 financially disadvantaged families have been provided with gas stoves and cylinders, reducing their dependency on firewood and helping preserve the local forest.
“When we got the gas stove, we immediately started using it. We no longer need to go into the forest to collect firewood,” said Hemraj with joy.
Madhu Devi Chaudhary, another user, shared similar sentiments. “The days of burning firewood are behind us. Now, I can use my time for other productive activities,” she said.
Sunita Chaudhary, who once struggled every rainy season when firewood stored at home would get soaked, expressed relief. “Those difficult times are over. Cooking is much easier now that we have gas at home.”
Asharam Chaudhary, from another low-income family, emphasized the time-saving benefits of the initiative. “Searching for firewood used to take up a lot of time, which could now be used for farming and other work.”
According to Raj Kumar Chaudhary, Chairperson of the Community Forest, the forest office distributed gas stoves to 180 households at a cost of Rs 8,000 per family, using income generated from forest resources.
“Every year, we had to distribute firewood to the users. But with rising demand and dwindling resources, the forest was being overexploited,” he said. “Now that most of the poor families have access to gas stoves, we hope this will significantly reduce pressure on the forest and aid in its conservation.”
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