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Kathmandu Monday February 12, 2001 Falgun 01, 2057.
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Bio-gas getting popular nationwide
By Ram Sharan Sedhai & Krishna Bhandari
CHITWAN, Feb 11 - Bio-gas plants are getting
increasingly popular among the farmers of this inner Terai district, placing Nepal on the
third position in bio-gas use following China and India. Chitwan, second to Kaski
district, had 5,734 plants by January 31, 2001 and the number is growing rapidly.
The ever-rising prices of petroleum products
and high electricity tariffs have fuelled the demand for bio-gas plants. Another reason
for their attraction is the subsidy government provides on it.
Government provides a subsidy of Rs 11,000,
Rs 9,000 and Rs 6,000 on installing plants in remote, hills and terai areas respectively.
Besides this, the government also gives a subsidy of an additional Rs 1,000 on building 4
cubic meter and 6 cubic metre sized plants in all the three areas, mainly focusing on the
small families.
The cost of the plants range from Rs 20000 to
35000 approximately depending upon the sizes and the area of installation.
There are 49 bio-gas companies operating
throughout the kingdom of which 13 are in Chitwan district. National Bio-gas Construction
and Service (NBCS) Pvt. Ltd, the first private sector company, has constructed over 1,800
plants here so far.
The companies help farmers to acquire cash
for the installation of the plants by making necessary arrangements for bank loan, if
required.
The restriction on collecting firewood from
nearby jungles, as they are community protected now, has also impelled farmers to install
bio-gas plants, as an alternative source of power for cooking and lighting purposes. It
not only saves money and time, but also ensures an uninterrupted supply of power, says
Tulasi Ram Bhandari of Bhandara Village Development Committee (VDC), ward no 3, Purbari.
"The most important thing with bio-gas
plant installation is that it relieves consumers of recurring shortages of liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG) and very high electricity tariffs," Bhandari stresses.
On a broader perspective, the installation of
bio-gas plants in a large number makes most of the farmers with low income brackets
independent and saves a sizable amount of foreign currency, which is spent on buying LPG.
As dung is the raw input required for bio-gas
plants, most farmers, who have either recently installed bio-gas plants or are in the
process of installing ones, need not worry for raw material as they rear cattle.
Khudaya Raj Pant, resident of Birendranagar
VDC, ward no. 3, says bio-gas plants are most suitable to farmers as they have to spend
money only once and that too not a big amount. A plant of 6 cubic metres capacity is
enough for a family of up to eight members to cook food and to light the house, he adds.
Though different bio-gas companies have
different cost structures, Bio-gas Support Program, a joint initiative of His
Majesty’s Government of Nepal, the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV-Nepal)
and the German Financial Cooperation (KFW) builds 4 cm size plant at an estimated cost of
Rs 20,852, 6 cm plant at Rs 24,666, 8 cm plant at Rs 28,661 and 10 cm plant at Rs 30,973
in the terai. The same plants cost a little more in the hills area.
Of the total subsidy given on the
installation of bio-gas plants, HMG provides 18 per cent, SNV-Nepal 8 per cent and KFW
provides 74 per cent currently.
"As it helps preserve forest, is
environment-friendly and reduces dependency on others, government should give more
incentives to farmers to install bio-gas plants", Pant says.
Apart from this, the slurry, a by-product
manure, is far more nutritious than the raw dung and it contributes greatly to household
sanitation.
Shekhar Aryal, Chairman of National Bio-gas
Construction and Service (NBCS) Pvt. Ltd, Bharatpur, Chitwan, says the slurry has 200 per
cent more nutrients than the raw dung, which most of the farmers use. If bio-gas plants
are encouraged, this will help in better yield plus sanitation among the farmer
households.
However, Aryal says bio-gas companies, in a
bid to woo households, are involved in an unhealthy competition, which has resulted in
poor quality of plant. Though there is no life of such plants are fixed yet, Aryal says
plants constructed in 1975 are also functioning well.
According to Keshav Dewan, Data Processing
Officer at BSP, Gobar Gas tatha Krishi Yantra Company (Bio-gas and agricultural Tools
Company), a state-owned enterprise began building bio-gas plants in Nepal in 1975. By
January 31, 2001, Nepal 76,079 bio-gas plants of which 62,940 were constructed by BSP
alone, which began in 1992.
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