Villages tap bio-gas for multi-use

- A farmer Narayana Reddy says he had set up the plant not for bio-gas production alone but producing organic manure for his farm as it is precious for healthy crop cultivation
- Bio-gas plants effectively check tree-felling, contribute to improving of hygienic conditions on the village roads and checks breeding of mosquitoes

Kannavaripalle (Anantapur): Bommaiparthi, Kannavaripalle and Sanevaripalle villages are some of the several villages where majority of the households had been harnessing bio-gas by setting up mini bio-gas plants in their backyards and contributing to integrated development of village economy in the district. These villages having 200 to 500 households are tapping bio-gas not merely as an alternative energy but also to benefit from the slurry of the cow dung which is viewed as rich organic manure. Pure and healthy milk, bio-gas cooking fuel and production of organic manure are the basic advantages. Narayana Reddy, a farmer raising buffaloes and producing bio-gas says that he had set up the plant not for bio-gas production alone but producing organic manure for his farm. Organic manure is precious for healthy crop cultivation, he adds.

The New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP) had been actively promoting bio-gas plants due to its multiple advantages. Amarnath Reddy, a farmer of Kanavaripalle, who had adopted bio-gas as cooking fuel, states with pride that he had been raising 10 buffaloes in his large backyard and had been running the plant for several years. The huge amount of cow dung produced by his cows helped him to set up the plant under the guidance of the NREDCAP. He adds that the cow dung slurry generated out of the plant is being utilised in his 10-acre crop land as organic manure which is said to be very rich in content, resulting in registering high crop yields. NREDCAP District Manager Kodandaram Murthy told The Hans India that each buffalo produces 8 to 10 kilograms of dung per day. About 60 to 70 kgs of dung is sufficient for operating the bio-gas plant.

A minimum of 7 to 8 cattle is enough to generate the quantity required for operating the bio-gas plant. He further states that a truck load of organic manure sells at Rs 8,000, which is an additional income for a farmer. The cow dung slurry contains double the nitrogen that is found in a compost yard. So far, 25,000 plants had been established and more than 50 per cent of them are operating. Animal feed shortage, drought conditions, shortage of workers and inadequate water supply are some of the problems being faced in running of the mini-dairies or backyard domestic dairies which contribute to setting up of bio-gas plants.

These bio-gas plants are being set up under the National Bio-gas Manure Management programme. Kanthamma, another woman farmer of Sanevaripalle says that a farmer's family which gets involved in domestic dairy contributes to happy and healthy families and indirectly strengthens village economy. With seven cows at her disposal, she is not only providing pure and healthy milk to the large family but also is contributing to promotion of bio-manure which enriches the soil very much. She adds that her house is like an industry.

Bio-gas plants effectively check tree-felling, contribute to improving of hygienic conditions on the village roads and checks breeding of mosquitoes. Murthy says that villages are relatively clean as one does not find cow dung in the streets. This apart, farmers are greatly benefited by the 40 to 50 bags of manure the plant produces every month. The manure is taking care of diseases that affect paddy crop besides contributing to fertility of the soil. The production of biog-as helps in saving a monthly consumption of 280 kg of firewood, 96 kg of coal, 37 litres of kerosene, 26 kg of LPG, 282 units of electricity by using 738 cow dung cakes as fuel.

Ravi P Benjamin