New Delhi, March 23 -- Growing up in Kerala, it was a weekly ritual to spark the firewood and get ready for an oil bath. The weather was warm enough during the week to use the plentiful water from a running tap or well. The firewood had to be kept dry and was allocated pride of place in the outhouse to be brought out in small batches for weekly baths or cooking. In an unexpected twist, many parts of India are having to return to this tradition of burning firewood.

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a fuel commonly used in Indian households and commercial establishments for cooking purposes. It is most often a combination of propane and butane. An almost-fully-burning clean fuel, it has replaced firewood and kerosene in most Indian kitchens...