Inventory of Innovative Indoor Smoke
Alleviating Technologies in Nepal
45
Chapter Five
SMOKEHOOD
Smokehood is a structure placed over a cooking stove
to remove the smoke produced during incomplete
combustion of fuel wood from the kitchen. Smokehood
can be of various dimensions depending on the stove
size and kitchen design. RECAST, a research and
development organisation is working to improve smoke
hood design. Practical Action Nepal Office has also
designed a smoke hood model in Rasuwa in a
participatory way, which is suitable for high-hill areas.
Previous studies, researches and experiments show
that smokehood reduces the level of IAP significantly.
Ballard-Tremeer & Mathee (2000) compiled and
compared various sources of interventions, such as
the source, living environment and user based
intervention with open fire. They considered the
improved cooking devices with and without chimney,
briquette and pellets, charcoal and other alternative
fuels for source based intervention. For living
environment based intervention, they considered hood/
fireplace and window/ventilation outlets. Similarly, for
user based intervention, they considered fuel drying,
use of pot lids, good maintenance and sound operation.
The result revealed that the exposure level was reduced
up to 33 (briquette), 75 (pellets) and 10 (charcoal) per
cents respectively using improved cooking stoves with
chimney. For living based intervention, hood/fireplace
and window/ventilation outlets reduce the exposure
level up to 50 and 15 per cents respectively. Likewise,
the exposure level was reduced up to 50 per cent using
pot lids.
Smoke extraction through smokehoods, ventilation
through windows and eaves spaces, and improved
combustion through improved stoves were three
interventions that were promoted during the
implementation of Smoke, Health and Household Energy
Project in Kenya and in Nepal by Practical Action.
Smokehoods were successful in terms of smoke
alleviation especially where windows were installed at
the same time, providing a good draught to optimise
combustion. Smokehoods work irrespective of weathers
and have variations in geometry. Moreover, smokehoods
are effective and can be adapted easily at local levels.
The simple, cost effective and efficient smokehood
introduced by Practical Action for the Maasai women in
the Kajoado region of Kenya was successful in reducing
smoke level inside the kitchen by 80 per cent. The
windows facilitated the use of hoods as cold and heavy
air replaced hot air and also helped in combustion when
windows were opened. (Smoke, Health and Household
Energy project, 1998-2001, Practical Action).