Bio Gas - Eco-Friendly Energy Solution

The Bonda tribe is one of the most primitive tribes in India. They live in Bonda Hills in Khairput block of Malkangiri District, Orissa. They are divided into Upper and Lower Bondas. The traditional and primary occupation of the Bonda tribe is paddy cultivation. They also engage in gleaning of seasonal forest products, hunting, fishing, animal husbandry.

Bonda women working in Paddy field

The making and selling of liquor, and seasonal sale of jungle produce and vegetables in weekly markets and through barter system are some of the ways of supplementing income. The income is meagre and cash in hand is a small amount. Their expenditure is mainly on food, rituals, ceremonies, healthcare and farming. Due to lack of livelihood options, many men and women migrate to cities to earn through labour work.

A Bonda woman making alcohol

Currently the community depends on forest wood for cooking. Such traditional cooking practices and prolonged exposure to smoke leads to serious and fatal health complications. Apart from this, with increasing population, the stress on the neighbouring jungles is drastically increasing.

A Bonda woman cooking food over wood fire

The collection of dry wood is difficult during monsoon and winter seasons.

Every household owns cattle and dumps the excess cow dung at various spots in the village which turn into breeding grounds for mosquitoes and pig related diseases like Malaria and Japanese encephalitis apart from dirtying otherwise pristine villages. This excess cow dung creates a perfect opportunity to introduce bio-gas as a safer fuel alternative apart from reducing the burden on forests and keeping the villages clean.

One of the cow dung site

In order to introduce the technology to the community we have already raised funds to install the first pre-fabricated Gobar gas unit in Dhumripada village as a working prototype.

The gobar-gas unit is being sourced from Sintex as shown below.

• • After the installation of the first unit, our local partner (Asha Kiran Society)’s supervisors and community staff will learn about the workings, maintenance of the unit.
• • ROMF and Asha Kiran Society are educating and training the villagers about usage and advantages of gobar-gas.
• • This campaign aims to raise funds to install 5 more units in Dhumripada as part of the second phase of the project.
• • In the third phase we will expand and install 50 more units and cover the entire Dhumripada village.
• • Introducing the community to a safer, greener, more eco-friendly option of gobar gas will make their lives sustainable in the long run and protect the forests.

• • After the installation of the first unit, our local partner (Asha Kiran Society)’s supervisors and community staff will learn about the workings, maintenance of the unit.
• • ROMF and Asha Kiran Society are educating and training the villagers about usage and advantages of gobar-gas.
• • This campaign aims to raise funds to install 5 more units in Dhumripada as part of the second phase of the project.

• • In the third phase we will expand and install 50 more units and cover the entire Dhumripada village.
• • Introducing the community to a safer, greener, more eco-friendly option of gobar gas will make their lives sustainable in the long run and protect the forests.