Boosting LPG use in rural areas important

The  National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the Oil Sustainability Programme (OSP) under the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of En­ergy, and Digicraft Advertising have collaborated to launch a week-long Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) awareness and sen­sitisation campaign in the Volta Region.

This initiative is aimed at ed­ucating the public on the health and environmental benefits of using LPG for cooking.

Such a campaign is good for the whole nation, especially be­cause of the era we are in where the government is striving to get the whole nation to abandon the traditional ways of cooking for the use of LPG and all the advantages in the face of the disadvantages of the traditional methods of cooking.

The use of fuel wood and charcoal involves harvesting the wood first and that has the disadvantage of contributing to deforestation.

Now, it is a well-known fact that fires prepared with fuel wood and charcoal produce harmful heat and fuel wood in particular produce smoke, both of which do a lot of harm to human health.

The smoke in particular con­tains pollutants linked to deadly health conditions like respiratory diseases, heart problems, and eye damage, as well as even prema­ture death.

It is sad that in spite of these hazards, many households in developing countries, including Ghana, still rely on these tradi­tional fuels.

The Ghanaian Times think lack of education about the impor­tance of using LPG cannot be the only one reason for that state of affairs.

Public education on the use of LPG must not emphasise only the importance but also strongly attempt to dispel the notion held about the danger associated with the use of LPG itself and the cylinder that holds it.

Thank God that at the cam­paign launched at Kpando, the NPA emphasised the importance of public education on LPG safe­ty and urged consumers to take such safety precautions seriously, including regular inspection of gas hoses for cracks, using only approved hoses, checking rubber seals (washers) on the valve and connecting hoses, and the need for professional help for repairs.

Boosting the education in any way feasible is also a matter to consider.

In that regard, The Ghanaian Times thinks carrying the cam­paign to the church auditorium, as indicated by Reverend Father Selom Mireku, the priest of Saint Patrick’s Anglican Church, Kpando and Chairman of the Local Council of Churches, and everywhere people congregate like funerals and even political party campaigns should be con­sidered.

But while all the efforts are being done, there is a very important issue that appears not seriously considered – the preparation for the use of LPG, including the equipment or appli­ances needed.

Does every rural household have the space to set up and the resources to buy the gas cooker and the cylinder and as well be in the position to regularly refill cylinders?

Yes, LPG is a cleaner and more environmentally- friendly and sustainable option for cooking as it does not release smoke even though it produces heat energy when burnt, its use in the country in particular can be commonplace only when enough education about it is done and the populace helped to acquire the appliances or equipment for its use.

Probably, in future, the gov­ernment can provide the system whereby the public can use gas coming to homes through pub­lic-installed pipes.

Certainly, enhanced use of LPG in the country can help reduce environmental degrada­tion and stop the health hazards caused by traditional methods of cooking.