Indoor Pollution, An Unattended Pollution.

Crisis

When we think of air pollution most of us always think of smoke from industrial plants, emission of heavy gases and vehicular emission. But did we ever think of how harmful are the smoke that comes from burning wood.

Millions of people in the world who still depend on burning wood are the victims of these problems. An example of such problem is in Bhutan too, although very negligible but still few people still live in darkness. As the darkness touches the ground ,it is  the time where all living beings start to look for shelter, It is in  Reotala village in Trongsa Bhutan where only three households live in. Opposite of Reotala is Zhemgang town, where the electricity has hit the urban area decades back, but for this families electricity is just a dream. Sixty years old Sangay is one among them ,every day by 5 am in the morning she starts her day with making fire in her traditional earthen stove. Making fire is necessary for them, as they have to depend on it in absence of electricity and other fuel. Today although there are no kids in her house, she clearly remembers how her children use to get sick because of the smoke. Sangay said its all because of the smoke, now at this age  she cannot even recognize people properly, she also remembers her kids having some breathing difficulties in the past, when she  went to Hospital doctor once even told her  that she  was suffering from tuberculosis, Sangay says it is more difficult during the winter season as they have to burn more wood to keep them warm. Like Sangay many other villagers are aware of the fact but left with out alternatives. Another villager singtella  shares that their  eye get irritated ,and  often suffer from breathing difficulties, that’s why he  have send his  kids away from here , though his kids are  just seven and other is nine years old they are in urban towns now, he has done such act thinking they may suffer like us in future if they are kept here. Similarly some other residents said doctors have even advised them not to stay near the fire. They are not able to avoid as they need to depend on fire Doctor Karma Tenzin from Khesar Gyalpo university of medical sciences in Thimphu say immediate affect of such household smoke especially from burning of wood would risk women and children making then vulnerable to different diseases .He added in the children eye irritation occurs, which cause lot of discomfort  c to the children, other problem similar to the out door pollution is respiratory disorders, an then there are also lot of studies done where they say the indoor pollutions will not only cause eye irritation but respiratory diseases such as asthma can be induced, and other long term chronic respiratory diseases can also be induced in long term exposure to indoor smoke. And also some sort of cancers is also reported because of the long-term exposure to solid fuel burning.