CHITRAL: The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) has claimed to have designed and prepared an energy-efficient electric stove for cooking purposes which consumes 70 to 80 per cent less electricity than the customary stoves available in the market consumed.

Named as ‘Madad Electric Stove’, the stoves have been produced in a number to be distributed in the households in Garam Chashma valley and other areas of Lower Chitral on subsidised rates.

To formally introduce the gadgets in the area, ceremonies were held in Garam Chashma valley and Chitral city by AKRSP.

The speakers on both the occasions said that the in view of the threats posed by climate change and rampant deforestation across the country, the stove was prepared after several months of research and analysis.

“This modern and eco-friendly stove has the ability to cook food in short time with minimal electricity consumption. This will not only reduce dependence on wood but will also help in reducing deforestation and air pollution to a great extent”, they said.

They said that the stove was a very important need in the current situation because due to global warming Chitral’s 543 glaciers were melting rapidly, as a result flooding had become a routine affair in the recent years.

The speakers said the distribution of stoves in rural areas of Chitral was a happy moment for the women folk as it will bring convenience in domestic life by reducing the labor of collecting firewood and provide them with opportunity to work in a clean environment and along with saving time, besides positively impacting their health.

They said that the project of preparing energy-efficient stove had the financial and technical support of Aga Khan Foundation and Third Pole Solution.

Those who spoke on the occasion included Sajjad Hussain Shah, Meherban Khan, Sartaj Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Afzal ZerBali, Dr. Hazirullah, Islamud Din and others.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2025