The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

A total of 30,000 biogas plants have so far been installed in rural areas in the country as an alternative source of energy to reduce the use of firewood.

People are using biogas for cooking, lighting and generation of electricity while residues from the plants utilized as organic fertilizer for crop production.

"The plants use cow dung, poultry droppings, waste hyacinth and other biomass waste to produce biogas which ensure a smoke- free, odor-free, clean and healthy cooking environment for rural women," Dr M A Rouf of Institute of Fuel Research and Development (IFRD) of BCSIR told BSS on Saturday.

The Bio-gas plants are being used for cooking like natural gas, lighting rooms with mantel of hazak light, generating electricity for power appliances like light, fan, television and radio and it also can be converted into mechanical power for pumping irrigation water, he said.

The initiatives of construction of bio-gas plants was undertaken as an alternative to the energy produced from firewood, the cutting and burning of which is harmful for the environment, Dr Rouf said.

Out of total plants, 22,000 were constructed by IFRD of BCSIR (Bangladesh Council of Scientific Industrial Research) in last 10 to 12 years, he said.

Apart from BCSIR, 25 organisations including, Grameen Shakti, BRAC, DANIDA, Local Government Engineering Department, Department of Environment, Bangladesh Agriculture University, Bangladesh Small and Cottage industries corporation and Department of Livestock Service are involved in the development of biogas technology.

Among the organizations, Grameen Shakti shares more than 60 percent of biogas plants being constructed in the country.

"So far, we have installed 4,500 biogas plants and set a target to construct 5,00,000 plants across the country by 2012," head of International Cooperation and Development Department of Grameen Shakti Dr MS Islam said.

The introduction of biogas has reduced the timing the rural women spend on cooking and in turn allowed them engaging in other productive pursuits, he said.