Health Ministry warns misleading firewood reports could strain energy sector

The Health Ministry has cautioned that misleading media reporting on the use of firewood for cooking could alarm the public unnecessarily and create difficulties for the country’s energy sector.

If a large number of households were to abandon firewood and other commonly used cooking fuels for gas or electricity because of inaccurate coverage, the ministry said, the shift would place additional strain on energy supply.

The ministry added that many households that currently cook with firewood have no particular reason to stop, especially those with ready access to it who use it safely and correctly.

Raised at a ministry meeting

The issue was taken up at a special meeting between Dr. Chandani Withana, Director of Environmental and Occupational Health, and Lakshmendra Damayanthkumara Tennakoon, Senior Assistant Secretary for Information and Publicity at the Health and Mass Media Ministry, the Daily Mirror reported.

Officials said that presenting information in a way that alters its original meaning can mislead the public, even where specialists have supplied facts intended to improve public health. They agreed the position should be clarified promptly and discussed how to re-inform the public.

The ministry said further information would be released officially to the media, and stressed that media organisations and social media platforms have a responsibility not to distort facts or present health information misleadingly.

Context

The ministry did not identify the reports it was responding to.

Health officials have recently drawn public attention to indoor air quality. In coverage of a study published this month attributing about 7,000 premature deaths a year in Sri Lanka to air pollution, a specialist said household air pollution was five times higher than outdoor pollution and noted that burning firewood for cooking releases harmful gases that can build up indoors where ventilation is poor.

Firewood and other biomass remain widely used for cooking in Sri Lankan households, particularly in rural areas.

Sources: Daily Mirror.