HOUSEHOLD ENERGY AND COMMON LANDS IN RURAL HARYANA, INDIA

Rural people in most of the developing countries are facing an acute s hortage of domestic fuel which has led to many socio-economic and envi ronmental problems. In an attempt to examine the nature and extent of the household energy problem, and to suggest certain measures to allev iate it, 432 sample households from eight sample villages in Haryana, north-western India, were surveyed using structured questionnaires dur ing 1995. We find that there has been widespread switching over to low quality fuels (crop residue and dung cake), more time and effort are now spent in fetching fuelwood, biomass fuels have been monetized, and that severe degradation of vegetation cover has occurred. All these c hanges reflect the acute shortage of household energy in rural areas o f Haryana State. It has almost become a crisis, particularly in the Ea stern Haryana Region and in poor households. The common lands still pr ovide a significant proportion of household fuel, especially to landle ss and marginal farming households. Hence, energy plantation on common lands is an immediate, feasible and sustainable solution to the rural energy problem. There is also an urgent need to prevent the wastage o f energy by increasing end-use efficiency.