Biogas digesters are all the rage in villages of rural Nepal, but what is a biogas digester?
…and how is it ending poverty in the village of Puranokot?
A biogas digester is a simple technology that takes human and animal waste and turns it into fertilizer for farming and a clean burning gas used for cooking (see diagram below).
For thousands of years, Nepalese women have been cooking for their families over open fires in their homes. With no ventilation, billows of smoke fill the small kitchens, stinging eyes and lungs. The cooking fire located near the floor is a constant worry when small children are around. Hems of the women’s skirts have even caught fire. Severe burns from traditional cooking fires are not unusual nor are the constant respiratory problems that plague many families.
Installing a biogas digester ends all of these challenges. Biogas digesters help control indoor air pollution and improve sanitation and safety. They also reduce deforestation and the time-consuming job of collecting fire wood. Thanks to your help, four households in Puranokot currently have biogas digesters and 7 more are expected to be completed in May.
Guna Maya
Guna Maya Gurung is one of the mothers in Puranokot who is now cooking by gas. She explains, “I used to cook with firewood. I had a smoky kitchen and used to burn my hands and fingers. That was scary for the kids. The biogas digester is very useful, easy to handle, and now our home is more sanitary with the latrine.”
Thank you CHOICE suporters for making this simple technology available to the villagers of Puranokot to help them live healthier lives.