Dr Biteko hails clean cooking energy for saving 470,000 hectares of forest annually

ZANZIBAR: THE former Minister for Energy, Doto Biteko, has said that it is vital for the country to sustain the progress made in expanding access to clean cooking energy as continued reliance on polluting fuels threatens the environment and public health.

Speaking during his participation at the panel discussion on “Tanzania’s Strategic Leadership in Accelerating Sustainable and Inclusive Energy Transition” during a Clean Cooking Energy Dialogue organised by the Mwanamke Initiative Foundation (MIF) in Kizimkazi, Zanzibar the MP stated that  every Tanzanian has the responsibility to ensure the gains made under the country’s clean cooking energy agenda were sustained.

Biteko, who is now Bukombe MP, noted that the establishment of the National Clean Cooking Energy Strategy was part of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s efforts to give the agenda greater priority while warning that continued use of polluting cooking fuels is contributing significantly to environmental degradation, with an estimated 470,000 hectares of forest lost annually.

Elaborating, he said that more than 33,000 people die each year from diseases associated with household air pollution caused by cooking, with women and children bearing a disproportionate burden.

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“Women and children are particularly affected by the amount of time spent collecting firewood, limiting their opportunities to engage in productive activities and, in the case of children, education,” he said.

Emphasizing on the matter, he stressed the need for regular assessments of clean cooking programmes to measure their sustainability, identify emerging challenges and develop stronger strategies to accelerate the transition.