Biogas is becoming popular at Rookha Chiwog under Athang Gewog in Wangdue Phodrang. It is providing a sustainable source of energy for the households rearing livestock. It has also helped them reduce their dependence on firewood and expensive fossil fuels. Today, almost all households in the chiwog have a set of the biogas plant.
With the start of the project three years ago, locals no longer have to worry about fetching firewoods or worry about refilling gas cylinders. Besides, it has also helped maintain cleanliness in the community. The project has come as a boon to the locals of the chiwog. They make use of the leftovers from the production as manure for the crops. Nothing goes as a waste.
“We need money to refill our gas cylinders and look for transportation. Likewise, most of the time, people have to return without gas cylinders. Now, we do not have to face such problems since we have biogas at our homes. A bucket of cow dung is more than enough for a family to prepare meals for a day,” said Tashi Dorji.
“We need to put the cow dung daily to produce the gas to prepare the meals for four to five people. Moreover, we do not see any risk factors with biogas like other gas cylinders,” added Dechen Wangmo.
“Biogas is useful if we make an effort to put the cow dung regularly. It helps us immensely, especially for the woman as we do not have to fetch firewood from the forest. The gas also produces stronger flame if the cow dung is put properly,” added other locals.
Locals added that the project has encouraged the culture of cattle rearing in the community. The Dzongkhag administration encourages people to opt for biogas by financially supporting the process. About Nu 50,000 is spent for a household to set up the biogas plant.
“We provide more than 20 bags of cement at free of costs for the biogas construction. The charge for the masonry is also borne by the government. We just ask them to collect stones and sands for the construction and help during the construction if need be,” said Ugyen, the district’s livestock officer.
He added that the dzongkhag administration is focused more on Rookha Chiwog to reduce the dependency on firewood. Moreover, the chiwog falls under the Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park.
As per records with the Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park’s Office in Taksha, after the establishment of the project, there was a decline in the issuance of firewood permits by about 25 per cent. The biogas project in the chiwog initially began in 2010 with financial support from UNDP. It was re-introduced in 2016 after a hiatus.
Changa Dorji
