Faced with fuel scarcity, villagers resort to cow dung alternative

15 May 2021

DMG Newsroom
May 15 2021, Sittwe

Ethnic Kaman residents from Thet Kay Pyin Ywama village in Sittwe Township are using fuel made from cow dung due to the scarcity of conventional fuels in their village.

Because there is no forest near their village to chop firewood, villagers have to dry cow dung in the sun, putting it on bamboo slats to use as fuel in cooking.

“We cannot get firewood as the place we reside is not a hilly region,” said villager U Than Yee Maung. “We’ve also faced difficulty using charcoal because charcoal can be bought only in town. Additionally, there is no electricity in our village. We can use fuel only when firewood sellers come from other townships. So, we have to use cow dung fuel. Without fuel, we cannot cook.”

Since firewood and charcoal are expensive, villagers cannot afford to buy them for daily use. Villagers say they want electricity as soon as possible to help address the fuel shortage.

“As firewood is scarce, it will be convenient if we get electricity. With electricity, we would no longer need to use firewood and everything would be easier,” said U Than Yee Maung.

Firewood sellers only come to Thet Kay Pyin village twice a year, and many villagers cannot afford to buy firewood anyway, said local resident Daw Ma Win Mya.

“Firewood sellers come from Kan Kaw Kyun and Thone Sel villages. Some are from far off places. Some are from Min Ka Tone and Zaw Ma Tat villages. They come to our village twice a year – Tawthalin/Thadingyut and Kasone/Nayone months [September/ October and June/July],” she said.

Villagers said cow dung fuel can be made during the dry season from roughly October to May but cannot be made the rest of the year, making cooking difficult during these months when fuel shortages are acute.

The predominantly Kaman village of Thet Kay Pyin has a population of more than 2,000 people from over 380 households. Other remote villages in Arakan State also grapple with fuel shortages.