Firewood still preferred fuel for cooking: Census

Firewood still remains the main source of fuel for cooking, particularly, in rural areas according to the housing, household amenities and assets census, 2011.

According to the findings of the census, which were released recently, nearly 82 per cent of the households enumerated use firewood as cooking fuel.

Furthermore, 0.1 per cent of the households in rural and urban areas were found to be using coal, ignite and charcoal for cooking purposes, a deviation from the 2001 census findings.

However, there has been a significant increase in the use of LPG and PNG (piped natural gas) wherein the percentage has gone up from 4.6 per cent to 11 per cent between 2001 and 2011 census.

There has been no change in the percentage use of cow dung cake for cooking since 2001 whereas the use of electricity and biogas has come down significantly in the last ten years.

In terms of drinking water facility, 88 per cent of households use taps, tube wells, hand pumps and covered well as the source and 41 per cent households depend on tap water from treated sources. 

Nearly 37 per cent of households have to fetch water from a source located within 500 metres in rural areas and for 44 per cent of households source of water is within the premises.

  Eighteen per cent of the households, especially in rural areas, have to fetch drinking water from more than 500 metres away.