ChaitraliMahekar, a village homemaker with three small children, used to spend 4 hourscollecting firewood and cooking meals for her family. When the family opted for a biogas plant andfinally broke free from this tiresome and unhealthy process, Chaitrali nowfinds herself with free time which she chooses to use to be more enterprising.She shells cashew nuts, has a poultry farm and plants turmeric.
She earns Rs 10per kilo of every cashew nut shelled and the wholesalers who provide her withthe cashew nuts also provide her with the machinery required, for free. How wasall this possible? It’s simple really. She has a biogas plant in her back yardwhich effectively cuts down on ones cooking time from four hours to one, and iscompletely ecofriendly. She says, “I no longer have to breathe those fumes, andcooking is so much faster. I have used the shed that stored firewood to nowstore the poultry. The extra money has also helped.”
Founded byDr Deodar, in a small district just outside Sawantwadi called Zarap, theBhagirath Gramvikas Pratisthan (BGP) has found a way to improve the conditionsof the. Their initiative is to infuse a sense of self development throughunified actions of the local people to achieve rural development has estimatedthat each family uses approximately 30,00,000 kg of firewood per year. He says,“We have successfully managed to construct 1200 biogas plants. We have trained30 masons so far, who are also farmers by profession. So now they have anadditional trade and an additional income.”
Unlikefirewood, biogas does not emit high levels of harmful gasses like carbonmonoxide, which the women inhale in large quantities while cooking. Thephysical and psychological effects of daily inhalation of carbon monoxide areasthma, irritation and fatigue amongst others. A vital fact is that carbonmonoxide prevents enough oxygen from reaching the brain and that causesnumerous other health problems. Prameela Prabhakar , another villager says, “ Iused to have asthma attacks so frequently that I always had to be hospitalised.Ever since I started used biogas, I hardly have them anymore. It completelychanged my life.”
Being nature friendly, biogas plants produceready slurry for compost pits. This helps in the production of rich organicmanure by utilizing agricultural waste. Each family owns between four to eight cowsthat produce enough manure to create cooking gas for a family of seven members.This suffices their requirements for three meals a day and hot water. Dr Deodar’s wife Harshita is also an ardentparticipant in the project. A doctor herself, she is a general practitioner inthe village and is more accessible to the problems that are faced by thevillagers. She is no stranger to health issues faced by the women. “The biogasplant is a way to make the first initial contact with the farmer. Once we havethat first point of contact we find out the various shortcomings they face. Itis a cycle that starts with the biogas plant,” she states.
It is indeeda cycle because the women now have the time to be productive and maybe learn atrade that might improve their standard of living. While some have poultryfarms, others have learnt trades like sewing, cleaning cashews, etc. Once the potential of a trade is realized,the village rapidly develops and becomes self “sufficient, while beingsimultaneously eco-friendly as well.
