The World Bank (WB) and the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) have jointly completed the Bangladesh Indoor Air Pollution Reduction Pilot project (Phase-I) which involved a set of knowledge gathering and awareness raising activities to address the indoor air pollution.
A concept note on the framework for a pilot initiative on rural household energy interventions and indoor air pollution reduction has been prepared based on the findings of the first phase of the work that considers proven and effective models of rural energy dissemination in Bangladesh and abroad.
To make the rural household energy programme in Bangladesh sustainable, a market-driven model is needed that allows for the growth of entrepreneurs and micro-enterprises on improved cooking stoves and use of biogas through intensive training besides capacity building and micro-credit assistance.
The union parishads and community-based organisations need to be involved to facilitate such programmes.
To pilot the programme (Phase-II) from concept stage, a counterpart agency with hands-on experience on market based approach and other relevant expertise is needed to take the work forward. The World Bank team engaged in discussions with Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) to determine their interest in partnering in this proposed initiative as they have the proven track record of implementing renewable energy projects on commercial approaches.
The proposed grant-funded Phase-II activity, if agreed between the Bangladesh government and the WB, would support technical advisory services in the areas of community awareness, assessments, training, commercial delivery mechanisms through entrepreneurs and micro-enterprises, monitoring and quality assurance, financial options, and exploring carbon finance linkages.
On successful outcomes of the Phase-II Pilot initiative and potential for scaling up, a larger project with IDA assistance may be envisioned.
Poor indoor air quality due to the traditional cooking practices create high risk and directly affect the lactating and young children along with the mother, reveals the Bangladesh Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) done jointly by the World Bank and Bangladesh government, including the Department of Environment and Forest (MOEF).
The CEA findings and the current epidemiological understanding suggest that a major portion of premature deaths specifically of the under-five children is attributable to indoor air pollution, after water borne and sanitation related disease in Bangladesh. These risk assessments are currently ranked as an environmental health priority, which if addressed will significantly strengthen Bangladesh's efforts to reach the health-related MDG targets.
