With the bio-gas proving to be effective, efficient and economical, residents of Yoeseltse Gewog in Samtse are switching to bio-gas. So far five such plants have been constructed and another 10 are in the pipeline.
When the bio-gas pilot project was launched in the Gewog last September, few men were also trained in constructing the bio-gas plant. Phuntsho was one of them. “So far we have constructed three bio-gas plants. We have not received any complaints so far. It will immensely benefit the community,” he said.
Jigme Zangmo from Soenakhar village is switching to bio-gas having seen her neighbours reap the benefit. She said it has reduced workload for her neighbour as they no longer have to collect fire wood and moreover it reduces air pollution. “To refill our empty cylinders we have to travel to Samtse. This incurs heavy expenditure and most of the time we have to come back with our empty cylinder. I have understood the advantages of using bio-gas and now I am switching to it,” she added.
The livestock production supervisor of Yoeseltse Gewog, Sonam Dorji,said the bio-gas plant constructed by the local people is as good as those constructed by an engineer. The project is expected to contribute to environmental sustainability by reducing deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.
“We have 21 bio-gas plants to be constructed in the village. Right now we are constructing five at Soenakhar Village. We will move to Kuenzaling village after this,” said the supervisor.
The project is expected to help diversify income earning activities in the rural areas by generating employment opportunities. This project is being carried out under the Bhutan bio-gas project.
