"As the unforgiving summer heat soared above 40C, she had walked for miles, piling the sticks and fallen branches into a bundle on her head while sweat ran down her face. Just a few weeks ago, the 35-year-old had been preparing meals for her four children on a small gas stove with little fuss. But as the crisis in the Middle East has choked India's vital supplies of imported liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) used by more than 60% of the country's population for cooking refills have been scarce and prices have risen far beyond what is widely affordable."
"“It already feels like hell,” she said, as she bustled about, filling a pot with water. “I'm not eating properly, and I have to work much more than before. My whole day now is about collecting firewood and cooking.” The return to fuels such as firewood and coal is not only deepening the economic strain of the war on ordinary civilians in countries across Asia, but raising concerns about public health, air pollution and the fragility of the energy transition."
"India imports about 60% of its LPG needs, of which about 90% usually comes through the strait of Hormuz, the critical shipping route still blockaded amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US. Official data shows India's LPG consumption fell by 2.2m tonnes in April, the sharpest decline in years. A woman cooks over firewood outside her home in Prayagraj, India."
A woman in a south Delhi slum spends hours searching for firewood to cook because LPG refills are scarce and unaffordable after disruptions tied to conflict in the Middle East. She previously cooked with a small gas stove but now must walk long distances, carry bundles of sticks, and spend most of her day collecting fuel and preparing meals. The shift to crude fuels like firewood and coal increases economic pressure on ordinary civilians and raises concerns about public health and air pollution. India relies heavily on imported LPG, with most supply routed through the strait of Hormuz, and LPG consumption has fallen sharply, reflecting the growing shortage.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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