The West Bengal Panchayat Department is stepping up efforts to promote clean energy and develop zero-waste villages by encouraging wider use of biogas under the Centre’s GOBARdhan mission, The Statesman reported.
Officials from the Panchayat Department and senior representatives of 14 South Bengal Zilla Parishads participated in a workshop organised at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratory in Durgapur on Friday.
The workshop was chaired by Naresh Chandra Murmu, Director of the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), and Abida Sultana, Deputy Secretary of the West Burdwan Zilla Parishad.
Murmu said the participating Zilla Parishads had committed to promoting biogas in households as a clean energy alternative, particularly amid rising LPG prices.
“To negotiate with the soaring LPG prices and enjoy the benefits of clean energy, the respective ZPs have pledged to give more stress on biogas use in domestic quarters,” Murmu said.
He said the initiative would focus not only on transferring technology but also on creating greater awareness about its use and benefits.
CMERI’s biogas technology uses cow dung as the primary feedstock. The institute has also installed a biogas facility as part of its Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Disposal System (iMSWDS), a three-in-one waste management project at its 250-family colony.
The facility has helped the colony become West Bengal’s first zero-waste colony. It can mechanically segregate 100 kg of waste per hour, generate 20 cubic metres of biogas a day for cooking and power, and produce briquettes from the resulting slurry, thereby reducing LPG consumption.
Officials said CMERI has installed similar biogas units in 21 districts. The technology can also be used by hotels, markets and housing societies, they said.
Sultana said the GOBARdhan initiative was helping convert cow dung and kitchen waste into biogas and organic manure, while also creating cleaner villages and employment opportunities in rural areas.
CMERI provides the technology to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) at a moderate cost. The institute is also working on another project funded by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to increase methane yields and accelerate the adoption of green energy.
CMERI had developed anaerobic digesters for biogas production several years ago and continues to work on expanding the technology for wider applications.
