Earthquake Relief - Repair of Biogas Plants in Nepal

During the earthquakes in April and May 2015, hundreds of thousands of houses were destroyed and almost 9,000 people were killed. Moreover, thousands of biogas plants have been destroyed which were built before by atmosfair and its partners thanks to climate protection donations. After the earthquakes, households had to use their traditional three-stone fires again. These fires require a lot of wood and thus money and time. They also harm women´s and children´s health due to their high smoke emissions. 

Thanks to a generous donation, atmosfair and its partners could already repair 310 plants in Bhimtar, Sindupalchk district in 2016/17. This achievement meant a return to normality for those households. Due to the positive reactions from our pilot project in Bhimtar we would like to repair even more biogas plants now. But for that your help is needed!

There are still hundreds of biogas plants damaged in the region of Helambu, where atmosfair and partners are now establishing the first climate-friendly trek in Nepal. We would like to repair 56 plants in the villages Ichok, Mahankal, Palchok, and Talamarang. Support us with your donation – and 56 families get back safe and clean cooking facilities! With this you are helping both local people and the climate.

For the repair work itself we trust in our project partner, the NGO Biogas Sector Partnership Nepal (BSP-N). BSP-N has been an experienced actor in the biogas sector for many decades. Our partner is planning and coordinating the repair measures which will be carried out by two local biogas companies. They of those companies have built the plants themselves a few years earlier. That´s why they are well informed about the plants and the region.

As BSP-N did already an analysis of damages in the Helambu region we now know exactly which parts of the plant have to be fixed or replaced.

The biogas plants have a volume of 6m³ and transform cow dung, agricultural waste and faeces into biogas by anaerobic fermentation. The biogas is used for gas cookers similar to the one Western households use. Two or three cows provide enough dung for the plant operation which represents an adequate amount of cooking gas for a five-member family.

Thanks to the biogas plant, households are able to cook smoke-free and using less financial resources. Moreover, the plants are true climate protectors: They are saving three tons CO2 per year compared to a traditional three-stone-fire. Biogas replaces firewood, hence saving carbon dioxide emissions. On the other hand it is a smoke-free, affordable and decentral energy source especially for poor rural households.