Nepal

Overview

Project Background

Nepal is famous for its natural beauty and magnificent backdrop of the Himalayas. With almost a third of the country protected as a national park or conservation land, Nepal encompasses a multitude of landscapes preserving a vast biodiversity.

However, villages located in remote areas, often have to collect firewood from these national parks, which is time-consuming, dangerous and an unhealthy source of energy. These practices have led to an increase in deforestation of the country, threatening biodiversity of species living in these forests and a rise in CO2 emissions as well as a rise in health problems for the villagers. Alternative sources of fuel, such as LPG gas, are costly and transport from the major cities to rural villages are often lengthy and potentially dangerous.

Biogas uses animal manure to convert into methane(Ch4) gas as an alternative to fire or LPG gas. BioGas is a smokeless, odorless and colorless gas that burns similar to LPG. It is a carbon neutral gas that is affordable, clean and sustainable source of renewable energy. The gas produced can replace the high demand of fuelwood in rural areas to be used for cooking and heating purposes. The effluent slurry from biogas production can also be used as organic fertilizers for agriculture purposes.

Social Output

Biogas technology aims to:

Reduce deforestation and environmental degradation, by providing an alternative fuel source for cooking, electricity and other purposes. It would preserve the landscape while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Increase agricultural productivity by promoting the use of digested slurry as a natural fertilizer. It promotes recycling of existing waste.
Improve health and sanitation of rural population. It also saves time and reduces workload which could be used for income generation, education and other activities.
Increase awareness level and demonstrate practical advantages of biogas technology.

Service Project

The main purpose of this program is to introduce the students to Biogas Technology. The gas produced, is able to be supplied directly to the household through a connected pipeline. The digested slurry overflows to a compost pit where it can be collected and composted.

During the program, World Volunteer participants will learn how rural families are benefitting from this technology by visiting, interviewing and observing households which have already installed biogas plants. They will also construct a biogas plant under build- it-yourself methods to actually get the feel of how different components of biogas plants are constructed.

Impact

This project is providing biogas plants for families in rural Nepal. Once the family has a functional biodigestor, they will have access to their own gas for cooking/heating/lighting as well as the highly organic matter the digester produces for their farm. All the family has to do is add a mixture of manure and water each day to the digester. The majority of families in this region have cattle or livestock meaning they have the one required input in abundance. The digesters help the families save money, time, and prevents them for consistently having to inhale and work around smoke from fires. It’s a simple, healthy, and cost effective solution.

WV also works with local experts in biogas in Nepal who check in on the family periodically after the installation and provide maintenance and support in case of any breakdowns.

Cash income is also distributed to the village community as a product of the homestay agreement. In consultation with the Chief of each village, World Volunteer ensures that that every family in the village has a chance to benefit from this agreement. This model shows how every volunteer has a positive and measurable effect on the communities we work with.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

SDG #7. Affordable and clean energy: Biogas reduces the need to clear and collect logs reducing reliance on natural resources. Burning biogas created from recycling animal, human, and plant waste produces affordable, clean, and renewable energy.

SDG #12. Responsible consumption and production: Biogas establishes alternative sources of energy that enables the continuous availability of burnable substances, promotes recycling of pre-existing waste, and reduces the destruction of natural resources.

SDG #13. Climate action: Developing biogas initiatives reduces deforestation and GHG emissions. Biogas is also a carbon-neutral product ensuring no negative impact on the environment. Shifting to biogas as an alternative energy source allows individuals to continue their burning practices but protects the environment simultaneously.