Nesian Nomad

(Photo: Kerosene lamp)

Kerosene lamps have been a major source of light in Papua New Guinea (PNG) village houses for decades. The gentle, yellow glow of a kerosene lamp in our house at night is a comforting reminder of my childhood, lighting the dark corners of my bedroom where creepy-crawly things might otherwise hide.

But now it seems that the days of the kerosene lamp are numbered, judging by the difficulty of finding a new lamp in town. Up until 2010 almost every store in town sold kerosene lamps of various sizes, together with replacement glass chimneys, spare wicks and small plastic hand-pumps used for pumping kerosene.

Also available were pressure kerosene lamps - originally "Coleman" lamps and more recently, the "Butterfly" brand. Apart from its use in lamps, kerosene was, until recently, used to power stoves and refrigerators. Historically, it was used in villages to control exfoliating skin fungus ("grille") and to treat skin boils. However, village store records indicate that kerosene use has gradually dropped by 30 per cent from 2010 to 2018, during which period the price of kerosene stayed relatively stable.

A quick tour of the Chinese-managed stores in town provides the answer to the lack of kerosene lamps and declining use of kerosene. On shelf after shelf sits an amazing variety of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps and torches powered by dry-cell batteries.

Photo: Solar-powered LED lamp

Increasingly common too are solar-powered lamps, either operated directly from a 12-volt battery or using 240 volts through an inverter. An LED lamp is at least four times brighter than an equivalent size of kerosene lamp, producing very little heat and none of the smoke or smell associated with kerosene lamps. Household accidents associated with kerosene lamps have sometimes resulted in injuries to their users or destruction of their houses by fire.

On rare occasions the use of petrol-contaminated kerosene has caused kerosene lamps to explode, with fatal consequences. Because the dry-cell batteries in LED lamps and torches quickly lose their charge, there is an associated cost in regularly replacing them. However, the increasing use of solar panels and rechargeable batteries is assisting in the reduction of these costs.

An added advantage is the capability of these systems to re-charge mobile phone batteries.

While I miss the comforting glow of kerosene lamps in our village, the introduction of LED lamps has greatly increased the safety of night lighting in villages and interior lighting conditions for students trying to complete homework assignments. Although a few villagers will continue to use kerosene lamps for their home lighting, it seems that LED lamps have become firmly established as the preferred home lighting option in many PNG villages.

Village Lighting in PNG - Where Can I Buy a Kerosene Lamp?

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