The Impact of Biogas Plants
on Rural Community in Nepal
Dr. Hari Man Shrestha, Kathmandu
In the Nepalese context, energy security will
ultimately be dependent on its water resource, although quick yielding varieties of
fuelwood plantation with proper forest management would be able to prolong the
availability of fuelwood resources for quiet some time in future (probably beyond 2002,
which has been considered to be the projected final collapse of forest bio-mass system).
Food security, again, is dependent on ability to supply irrigation water to the
agriculture lands located particularly in the Terai region of the country. The transit
flow available in the rivers vary considerably time-wise with inadequacy for irrigation
water supply from place to place particularly in the dry season. Moreover, in some of the
large rivers like Gandaki and Mahakali agreements were made in a way to severely limit
Nepal's entitlements. In case of Gandaki, the entitlement for India is quantified in such
a manner that during low flow season particularly from December to April, almost no
balance is left for use in Nepal, whereas in Mahakali the entitlement for Nepal is
provisioned up to a maximum of 22.75 m3/s during dry season (mid-October to mid-May),
which amounts to only 12.3% of average dry season flow available at Tanakpur barrage and
Banbassa barrage region. The other rivers, where agreements do not exist, India has either
blocked the withdrawal of water by way of sending objection notice to funding agencies
assisting Nepal, or creating flooding in Nepalese territory through unilateral
construction of barrages and embankments close and parallel to Nepal-India border to
regulate and tap the flows of the smaller river sources. Here was even the evidence of
land swap arrangement done between Nepal and India for locating the entire barrage in
Indian territory to ease almost complete withdrawal of river flow for use in India. These
past evidences show that water security issues were not talked to safeguard the Nepalese
interest. In such a situation, if the hydropower development by way of construction of
storage high dams is advanced without creation of facilities for irrigation use in Nepal,
even the floodwaters stored in Nepalese reservoirs may not be secured. This illustrates
the obvious hydropower is generated based on high dam storage mode. Despite such nexus,
the Water Resources Strategy prepared by Water and Energy Commission Secretariat under the
financial support form World Bank and Canadian International Development Agency, the
following is stated in regard of multipurpose projects, which are virtually the high dame
storage projects.
"If the surface water supply provided
from the potential multipurpose project does not provide the lowest cost and most
efficient means of meeting the water needs of the agricultural development, then
irrigation should not be counted as part of the purpose of the project"
CONCLUSIONS:
The present paper prepared is based on
limited secondary materials/information available. The author draws the following
conclusions:
In the modern era energy has become not
less important than water and food. For the water-rich and agriculture-based country like
Nepal , located in a unique geo-political situation, energy stands as one of the most
important security issues for survival
The energy needs are ever increasing due to
faster population growth and modernization of societies, but the sustained availability of
conventional forms of energy sources are already at stake.
With predominantly agriculture and rural
economy, majority of the people of Nepal are under subsistence level and, therefore,
affordability of the people for switching from traditional to the commercial energy is
low-88% of total energy was obtained in 1997-98 from traditional sources comprising of
fuelwood, agriculture residue and animal dung. Of the 12% energy supplied from commercial
type of energy sources, only 1.1% is from indigenous hydropower. In terms of sectoral
consumption, residential energy consumption mostly in cooking predominates all other
sectors. Is occupies almost 90% indicating the low degree of energy use in productive
activities.
The growth trend of energy use has become
more and more prominent with passing of time. It was only 14.8% during ten years period
between 1980-81 to 1990-91, while it is 27.6% within a shorter period of seven years in
recent past between 1990/91 and 1997/98. The noteworthy characteristic of growth is that
percentage contribution of electricity an fossil fuels is towards increase whereas the
contribution from the traditional sources is decreasing, although on quantum-wise basis
all the forms of energy are towards increase.
Whether the final collapse of forest
bio-mass system as projected by the study carried out by DANIDA and ODA with the
sponsorship of World Bank will take place or not towards the end o 2020, there is a clear
indication that the contribution of fuelwood will decrease steadily mainly due to
unsustainable harvest (over cut) already continuing.
The role of petroleum fuels, particularly
doe to increasing development of transportation facilities is becoming more vital but
their reserves are limited and of non-replenishable character. As of the estimate of 1993,
the confirmed reserves are sufficient only for about 46 years (some 38 years from now), if
the annual production rate of 1993 is to continue. The contribution of petroleum fuels in
the developed countries like USA, German, France and UK was between 38% to 40% in 1993
while the contribution reached to about 58% in Japan even with conservation measures
undertake after the first oil crisis of 1973. The role played by the petroleum fuels in
Nepal is so far minimum (4.21% in 1990/91) although in recent past in (in 1997/98) the
contribution rose up to 8.54%.
In overall energy consumption, Nepal's per
capita consumption is not very low, although in electricity term it is quite low (about 62
Kwh in 2000/01). The per capita electricity consumption is one of the highest in Norway
(24747 kwh) as compared to USA (11769 kWh) and to Japan (6157 kWh) in 1998. Norway's
dependence on electricity is also one of the highest (49.8% in 1990), of which 99% is
supplied by the indigenous hydropower. In the case of Japan contribution from electricity
is only 23.3% of which only 2.7 % is from indigenous hydropower. Nepal's effort should be
geared to increase the contribution of hydro-energy from 1.1% to as high as Norway.
For Nepal, major indigenous energy sources
of replenishable nature are forest biomass and hydropower. The energy security of the
country on sustainable manner depends very much on wise use of these resources in a
balanced way and substitution capability of petroleum fuels by hydro-electricity.
Keeping in view that the forestry sector
will still continue to play predominant role, fuelwood saving measures together with fast
growing fuelwood plantation program are needed to safeguard the faster devastation to
forest. In the mean time, ways and means are to be found to increase the hydro-electricity
production in an affordable manner for promotion of use of this energy source inside the
country.
Although water is replenishable within a
given hydrological cycle, hydropower production depends on high dam storage project
decreases with passing of time due o accumulation of sediment in the live storage volume
of the reservoir from the very start of reservoir impoundment. Hence these developments,
particularly not matching with the present demand of the country, should be the last
resort for development, if energy is to be secured for a longer-term future.
From the food security angle of view the
storage type of hydropower development needs to be linked with irrigation water supply.
Any storage development with irrigation potential must be developed in a way that water
supply for irrigation is secured fist. Otherwise, an opportunity to claim even on the
floodwaters stored in Nepalese reservoirs would become open to India based on their prior
use. The past behavior of India indicates that India will never miss such an opportunity,
if immediately after the dam construction of regulated flow is not used for irrigation in
Nepal.
Excerpts of the paper presented by the
author at a seminar on Energey policy: National and regional implications jointly
organized by NEFAS, CASAC and FES on November 27 last month-Chief editor. |
