Bio-gas use rising in rural areas
Monday, 14 June 2010
Biogas use is rising in rural areas as villagers have started seeking substitutes for increasingly pricey kerosene, firewood, and straw, reports bdnews24.com.
Simple biogas 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 biogas 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 of the country.
Thakurgaon sadar's Milpur area's resident Farida Nazneen has been cooking with biogas for one year.
"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, it produces electricity", Farida told bdnews24.com.
"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."
Farida set up the plant at her house with the help of a local nongovernment organization.
At present, 29 NGOs are working with the government's Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) to set up and popularise biogas across Bangladesh.
IDCOL's executive director and chief executive officer Islam Sharif told bdnews24.com, "Bio-gas plants are being set up in many areas of the country under National Home-economics Biogas and compost-manure project."
International NGO, SNV- Netherlands Development Organisation and the German government's development agency KFW are jointly financing this project.
Simple biogas 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 biogas 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 of the country.
Thakurgaon sadar's Milpur area's resident Farida Nazneen has been cooking with biogas for one year.
"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, it produces electricity", Farida told bdnews24.com.
"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."
Farida set up the plant at her house with the help of a local nongovernment organization.
At present, 29 NGOs are working with the government's Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) to set up and popularise biogas across Bangladesh.
IDCOL's executive director and chief executive officer Islam Sharif told bdnews24.com, "Bio-gas plants are being set up in many areas of the country under National Home-economics Biogas and compost-manure project."
International NGO, SNV- Netherlands Development Organisation and the German government's development agency KFW are jointly financing this project.