Litro Gas prioritises empowering communities with clean energy and preventing indoor air pollution

Access to clean energy for household requirements is a felt need among communities all over the world. Every year, four million people die from indoor air pollution, according to World LPG Association (WLPGA) estimates.

In Sri Lanka, firewood stoves, identified as a health hazard and the regular felling of trees needed for firewood, are concerns that impact the community negatively.

Litro Gas, Sri Lanka’s industry leader in the LPG energy sector understands the importance of using clean energy for cooking. Across the country, the company is constantly engaging with communities towards bringing clean and safe energy to their homes.

Initiatives such as making LPG available to remote plantation communities across estates and rural areas off the beaten track, thereby minimising the risk of indoor air pollution and related complications in such communities, has been among the company’s undertakings.

As the world commemorates the UN mandated International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies and The International Day of Preservation of the Ozone Layer in the month of September, it is relevant more than ever that more and more households are converted to cleaner energy.

World Health Organization (WHO) lists Household Air Pollution (HAP) as a critical issue that is responsible for 5% of global disease burden; WHO data further confirms that indoor air pollution is a global health concern that causes non-communicable conditions such as heart disease, lung cancer and pneumonia, etc. 

According to WHO estimates, around three billion people all over the world still use solid fuels such as wood, charcoal and kerosene in inefficient stoves and open fires. These cooking practices cause poor ventilation in close confines which in turn results in household air pollution and lung problems.

“Litro Gas remains firmly committed to environmental sustainability in all our undertakings to contribute positively towards clean energy generation,” says Litro Gas Lanka Ltd. and Litro Gas Terminal Lanka Ltd. Chairman and CEO Anil Koswatte. “Sri Lanka today is entering into a new phase of growth and economic empowerment – in such a setting, our role as the industry leader is pivotal in driving transformation from firewood to LPG.”

Litro Gas has been contributing positively towards environmental sustainability with initiatives that have been recognised globally for their positive impact. The Company has been awarded the prestigious ISO 14001:2015 Certification for its Environmental Management System; an international accredited certification granted to organisations that minimise the environmental impact from operational process activities. 

Litro Gas was also the recipient of a Merit Award at the Presidential Environment Awards 2018 organised by the Central Environmental Authority (Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment), Recognition Award at the Presidential Environment Awards 2019 and the ‘Global Green Era Award for Sustainability’ at the Green Era Awards 2016 held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Additionally, its inter fuel conversion project, indoor air pollution control program and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives for land, water and air pollution mitigation have received recognition.

From its state-of-the-art LPG storage facility at Kerawalapitiya and Hambantota Terminals to an island-wide network of 36 distributors, approximately 1,500 home delivery hubs and 10,000 point-of-sale locations, Litro Gas manages a comprehensive system that works diligently to ensure that Sri Lankan homes are assured of a seamless delivery of LPG.

As one of Sri Lanka’s best managed and highly successful Public-Private Partnerships whose majority shares are owned by the General Treasury through the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation, Litro Gas is the market leader in the energy sector in Sri Lanka with over 75% market share.

As the industry leader in the energy sector, Litro Gas believes that the Company has a national obligation to fulfil in fuelling Sri Lanka’s drive towards environmental sustainability and preservation.