Bio-gas catches on in rural areas

Bio-gas catches on in rural areas
Bdnews24.com . Dhaka

Bio-gas use is rising in rural areas as villagers have started seeking substitutes for increasingly pricey kerosene, firewood, and straw.
Simple bio-gas plants in the homestead are not only supplying fuel for cooking but also lighting up homes that have no access to the national grid.
A typical bio-gas plant can be used for more than 30 years and requires only 200 square feet area, using cow-dung and chicken excrement to produce energy.
Some 12,000 plants have already been set up in different areas around the country.
A resident of Milpur in the Sadar upazila in Thakurgaon, Farida Nazneen, has been cooking with bio-gas for one year.
She told the news agency, ‘The fire from the gas doesn’t create smoke, it doesn’t leave black stain on the cooking utensils or in the kitchen, and on top of all this, and it produces electricity.’
‘Earlier, when I used to cook with firewood, there was a lot of smoke and it hurt my eyes. With biogas it’s much easier,’ she added. Farida set up the plant at her house with the help of a local non-government organisation.
At present, 29 non-government organisations are working with the government’s Infrastructure Development Company Limited to set up and popularise bio-gas across Bangladesh.
IDCL’s executive director and chief executive officer Islam Sharif said, ‘Bio-gas plants are being set up in many areas of the country under National Home-economics Bio-gas and compost-manure project.’
International NGO, SNV-Netherlands Development Organisation and the German government’s development agency KFW are jointly financing this project, he informed.
Bio-gas is produced from composting organic wastes and excrement within, said Islam Sharif.
According to him, only 3 per cent of the total population, mostly of which were city dwellers, use natural gas for cooking delivered by gas pipelines. On the other hand, 70 per cent of the people who live in villages were denied this privilege, he added.
Across rural Bangladesh, people use firewood, dry leaves and cow-dung as fuels. Most of these fuels damage the environment, or cause deforestation, or even loss of fertility in nearby land.
‘Cow-dung and excrement were considered a nuisance and a waste, but now with the development of technology, the waste is being transformed into an asset,’ Sharif said.
The bio-gas, made from cow-dung and chicken excrement can be used not only as fuel, but the compost-manure from bio-gas plants can be used as environment-friendly organic fertiliser.
‘Considering all these advantages, we are working to make bio-gas more popular,’ the IDCL chief said.
The IDCL recently observed bio-gas week from May 28 to June 5 aimed at raising awareness about this clean source of fuel, through organising rallies and folk music concerts to motivate people to adopt the technology.
On May 28, Majpara union of Pabna district was declared a ‘Bio-gas-dependent Union.’
In 2009, Tikuria village of Mymensingh had been declared a ‘Biogas Union’ to recognise how fast the technology had been adopted by the people of the village.
‘Within 2011, an upazila will be declared as a ‘Biogas Upazila’ and by 2012, a district will be declared ‘Biogas district,’ said Islam Sharif.
IDCL’s secretary SM Farmanul Islam told the news agency that a six-year long project from April 2006 to December 2012 is under implementation.
The project plans to build 37, 269 plants by 2012. More than 12,000 plants had already been built and an additional 10,000 plants are planned within this year, he said.
A homestead bio-gas plant costs between Tk 25,000 and Tk 30,000. IDCL provides Tk 9,000 as a start-up subsidy. With progress, IDCL lends about Tk 14,000 to 16,000. The plant owner is responsible to put up the remainder of the required money.
Bio-gas residue is a high category compost-manure. Cultivable lands and fish-growing ponds can benefit using this manure.
DISA, an associate organisation of IDCL is working in village levels to set up the plants.

Source: www.newagebd.com, 15th July, 2010