The crisis at the Strait of Hormuz led to energy scarcity for large parts of the globe, including India.  Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE
Energy

Of Hormuz and Hamirpur

How the Hormuz crisis reached the hinterlands of Hamirpur in Bundelkhand

Vikas Choudhary

Iran’s sealing off the Strait of Hormuz led to energy problems across the globe.

The subsequent scarcity of fuel, especially natural gas, led to many locations in India reverting back to traditional, more polluting fuels.

Even the hinterlands of the country were not untouched. In the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, a charcoal maker saw renewed interest, as cooking gas got expensive.

One such location is near Kiswahi village in the Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region. Here, fresh babul (acacia) wood is being carbonised to produce charcoal.

The operator of the charcoal kilns said he has three kilns. About 148 kilograms of wood is loaded into each kiln at a time.

In these photos, the process of charcoal formation can be seen at a village in Hamirpur district. Proof enough that nobody is left untouched in an inter-connected world.

The wood is then sealed with mud and allowed to smolder inside the kiln for three days. This process produces around 30 to 35 kilograms of charcoal from each kiln.