MPRLP UPDATE SERIES NO.

11
BIOGAS

Making
biogas work
for poor
communities
Lack of access to energy resources
means that the majority of people in
rural India are forced to use cow dung
cakes and wood gathered from forests
as fuel for cooking. But burning these
smoky fuels in poorly ventilated
houses causes serious lung and eye
diseases, and simply collecting
enough firewood to cook food for the
family wastes enormous amounts of
time - time that poor people could
better use to pull themselves out of
poverty by earning more income or
tending to their crops.
MPRLP is therefore using funds from
other government schemes and
programmes to help villagers in
Madhya Pradesh build their own
biogas plants. This simple technology
catches the methane produced from
decomposing cow dung and provides
gas for cooking, along with a nutrient-
rich slurry that makes an excellent
fertilizer for crops.
So what's new about biogas?
Cooking with gas is safer than using wood or dung, which both produce harmful
emissions. Photo: © MPRLP/A M Faruqui
subsidised by the Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy, New Delhi, and the
Government of Madhya Pradesh's
Agriculture Department. The remaining
30% is covered by the villagers
themselves via a loan from the
Gram Kosh.
Who can take part?
To ensure long-term sustainability, the
project is promoting the technology
only to villagers with enough cattle to
feed a biogas plant in areas where
plenty of water is available. Since
2008, when the biogas project began,
MPRLP has helped to construct over
5000 family-sized biogas plants in over
How does biogas
technology work?
The biogas mixture consists mostly
of methane and carbon dioxide. To
make it, cattle dung and other
organic materials are combined
with water and fed into a chamber,
where the mixture is broken down
by bacteria without any oxygen
being present (anaerobically). The
bacteria produce a methane-rich
gas mix, which can be siphoned off
and burned as a clean source of
energy for cooking.

Biogas isn't a new technology. What is

800 villages.
"What is new is the
new is the process by which MPRLP is process by which MPRLP
generating 'buy-in' from communities
to ensure that the systems work long
MPRLP's biogas plant- is generating 'buy-in'
term and to develop innovations that building process from communities"
really benefit the people using them.
MPRLP's role is largely one of facilitator Building community engagement
and training provider and is based on
our strong links with communities. For biogas use to take hold in the long
Seventy per cent of the cost of each term, people need more than just the
plant (Rs. 16,000 to 17,000 for a two- biogas plants. They need to understand
cubic-metre, family-sized plant) is all the benefits the systems bring and
MADHYA PRADESH RURAL
LIVELIHOODS PROJECT
how to build and maintain them
themselves.
MPRLP therefore began by training its
staff to understand the use and
production of biogas. This was followed
by village-level meetings to inform the
communities about the advantages of
biogas and the resources required for
setting up production plants.
Simultaneously, the project began
teaching local masons how to build the
biogas plants.
Training for sustainability
The project is taking care to train users
in the operation and maintenance of
biogas plants. It is also teaching them
exactly how to use biogas to provide
light and for cooking – a challenge, as
people have to change their cooking
habits.
To keep the systems running, the
project also teaches local Livelihood
Promoters how to repair the biogas
plants, and gives them custom-made
tool kits for maintenance work. The
project has so far trained around 300
masons, 150 Livelihood Promoters and
5000 women users.
Overcoming the challenges
Building initial demand
Installation of the first few biogas plants
by MPRLP was a major challenge
because previously, biogas plants in the
region had been badly constructed and
maintained. However, after observing
the functioning of the new plants and
the use of biogas by the beneficiaries,
there was a huge rise in demand, which
is continuing to increase. As a result,
clusters of biogas plants (often in eight
or ten villages) are appearing.
"A challenge, as people have to change
their cooking habits"
The benefits of biogas
 Involves a small one-off cost to
families – who will no longer
have to buy fuel.
 Does not cause the health
problems associated with
traditional fuels.
 Benefits the environment by
greatly reducing the amount of
wood collected from local
forests.
 Provides users (mostly women
and children) with more free
time for income earning or
educational activities as they
don't need to collect wood.
 Produces a high-quality,
ammonium-rich manure
(slurry) for use on crops, which
means families can use less
fertilizer.
 Is climate friendly, as methane
(a greenhouse gas which
would otherwise be released
into the atmosphere) is
trapped and used.
A woman carries cattle dung to the
biogas plant inlet (the square tank on
the left), where it will be mixed with
water. The gas is syphoned off through
the pipe coming out of the dome.
Photo: © MPRLP/A M Faruqui
The way forward
 Monthly monitoring and
reporting on the functioning of
biogas plants.
 Improved composting of slurry
for use as a fertilizer.
 Linking the project to the
carbon market.
 Promoting the use of
agricultural residue as well as
dung.
MPRLP innovation
Working closely with communities also
allowed MPRLP to identify and address
people's concerns. As a result, new
designs were produced that made it
easier to store and collect slurry. And a
cover was added to the outlet tank to
make it impossible for people or
animals to fall in.
Contact
Telephone: +91-(0)755-2766812,
814, 815
Fax: +91-(0)755-2766818
Email: mprlp@mprlp.in
Website: www.mprlp.in
MPRLP is funded by the UK Department for
International Development (DFID).
This publication does not necessarily represent
the views of the Department for International
Development.