Biogas is already a popular alternative source of cooking fuel in Samtse with a large number of farmers having switched to biogas. The villagers of Trongsa might follow suit soon.
The Dzongkhag’s first three biogas plants in Taktse in Draagteng Gewog were inaugurated recently. The Dzongkhag Livestock Office built the biogas plants for training and demonstration purpose last year.
Sixty seven-year-old Sangay is a proud owner of one of these plants. Only a few days into use and Sangay is already seeing a huge difference between biogas and LPG. Use of biogas as cooking fuel has saved him from the tiring job of collecting firewood. It is also saving him a lot of money that’s usually spent on refilling LPG cylinders.
“We had to go all the way to Trongsa to refill the LPG cylinders. The one-way taxi fare is Nu 150. Altogether, it costs us about one thousand ngultrum. The worst is, sometimes there is no stock and we have to return home with the empty cylinder and go back some other time.”
Besides, biogas is also a clean fuel and a onetime investment. While biogas is being trailed in Drakteng Gewog, the Dzongkhag Livestock officer, Sherab Tenzin, said the second phase of the project would target the remaining Gewogs in the dzongkhag.
The livestock office has already received interest for biogas plants from about 85 households. The construction of one biogas plant costs around Nu 25,000.
