TN: Toilet-linked biogas fuelling kitchens

Salem (Tamil Nadu), Apr 20: At a time when the Indian oil and gas exploration major is scouting for blocks across the globe to meet the needs of the energy-hungry country, Sunda Mettur, a hamlet in this district of Tamil Nadu, is capitalising on toilent-linked biogas plants to meet their energy requirements.

"Though we were hesistant initially to adopt the toilent-linked biogas plants due to certain wrong notions that the gas generated from these plants was rotten and inferior, we are right now using the gas for our cooking needs," said V Ramu, who presently runs a toilent-biogas plant in his backyard.

"The financial assistance of Rs 13,800 as net loan from Allahabad Bank and the government subsidy helped me to set up the plant," says Ramu.

For Janaki, wife of Ramu, the plant came as a great relief.

Earlier, she had to collect firewood and choke herself with smoke in the kitchen while cooking.

"It is tough to work when the smoke from the hearth engulfs the entire kitchen. My health too started deteriorating. Right now, after setting up the plant, cooking seems to become quite easy.

I save lot of time and energy," she added.

With the government extending all support to the Grama Sabha to create awareness among the villagers on the positive aspects of the toilent-linked biogas plants, mainly cost of savings on fuel, drudgery, health and hygiene and the manurial value of the excreta, the villagers had evinced interest to set up the units in their households.

Presently, ten toilet-linked biogas plants are under operation in this district and with the Self Help Groups (SHGs) coming forward to take the scheme to larger masses, the village would have more such plants in the future, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Block Development Officer (BDO) Jayarani said.

She said though the district had 7823 biogas plants, only after taking up more awareness programmes they had managed to gain public acceptance for the toilet-linked bio gas plants in the district.

The toilet-linked biogas gained public acceptance only from 1995. The advent of SHGs had helped it to reach the grass-roots level. There are nearly 5000 SHGs in the district and the agency would work in tandem with the SHGs to establish more units in the district, Jayarani said.

"Nowadays, the villagers are showing more interest in setting up toilent-linked biogas plants. The DRDA had sanctioned 18 more units in the village, out of which ten will be completed in this year," she said.

A convergent plan of action had been drawn to cover up a minimum of 70 SGHs in the present financial year in 19 panchayat unions in the district. Above all, the tropical climate of 35 Degree Celcius to 40 Degree Celcius in the district absolutely suits the plants.

Ms Jayarani said the agency had already set up toilet-linked biogas plants in two government schools and with more private schools showing interest to set up the units, the agency would come out with a proper plan to cover all the schools in the district.

UNI