135-144In India, nearly 86% of rural households use biomass for cooking. Easy availability of fuel wood and prolonged winters increases its usage particularly in hilly regions. In rural hilly regions, fuel is primarily used for cooking, water heating and space heating purposes. A study was carried out in three villages namely Naugaon, Mawana and Kota from the Pauri district of Uttarakhand to identify the current status of fuel consumption pattern of rural areas in a hilly region. A questionnaire was prepared comprising the queries related to socio-economic status, choice of fuels for cooking, health and social awareness among women. It was observed that fuel wood is preferred fuel choice due to its low cost and easy availability. Socio-economic factors, inconsistent supply of fuels like LPG and geographical locations of the villages discourages the people of these villages to switch to cleaner fuel. In the present study, due to economic, social and geographic location, fuel wood seems to be a viable option. Further, government and public participation practices like social forestry, joint forest management could be adopted to ensure the sustainable, regular and cheap availability of fuel. Adverse health impacts of fuel wood could be reduced by using improved cook stove(s) and by making conventional kitchens well ventilated
