It has recently been estimated that 4 million deaths each year are associated with air pollution
originating from household solid fuel use. Interventions to reduce biomass fuel-related emissions
can yield a diverse stream of benefits including improved public health, socio-economic development,
reduced land degradation and climate change mitigation. This study investigates the use
of indigenous knowledge to inform interventions to combat indoor air pollution at a rural site in
the Punjab province of Pakistan. The results indicate that the majority of people using biomass
fuel had knowledge of its ill health effects. A range of methods were utilised to reduce indoor
smoke including cooking in open spaces, use of chimneys, better ventilation and use of dry fuel.
Education and housing type showed a statistically significant relationship with awareness of
methods to reduce indoor exposure to biomass smoke. These findings lend support to the notion
that communities have indigenous knowledge and their own methods to reduce exposure to
indoor smoke from biomass fuels; this knowledge can be used as tool to design and implement
sustainable intervention strategies to reduce the risk of exposure to indoor air pollution. It is
recommended that a community based intervention focusing on locally manufactured improved
stoves and better designed cooking spaces would be a suitable intervention in this region
