DEPLETING SOURCES

Fuelwood consumption in Bhutan has gone up drastically. A report 'Fuel-wood consumption in Bhutan and Alternative Energy Source' shows that fuelwood consumption in the country has increased by 20 per cent since 1995 and is projected to increase to 23 per cent by the year 2010. The main users of fuelwood are monasteries, security forces and schools, which still use the traditional open-hearth stoves. "In the rural areas alone, about 75,000 trees are cut to meet energy demands," said Lyonpo Kinzang Dorji, the country's agriculture minister. If action is not taken immediately, the country's forest will diminish rapidly.