Govt asked to create fund for production of biogas

Government has been asked to create a special fund, to help in lowering the cost of production for biogas energy in Uganda.

Speaking during a clean cooking baraza in Kampala, a platform for sharing ideas and discussions around Uganda's clean cooking sector, by the Uganda National Alliance on Clean Cooking (UNACC), Eng. Christopher Kato an a expert on biogas manufacturing, said  the fund will lower the cost of production, and increase the production of biogas energy.

"If government funds the production of biogas energy, we are likely to see an increase in production of gas, and also job creation for the local people as well as protection of the environment," Kato said.

According to Kato, it is very expensive for an ordinary Ugandan, to afford the establishment of a biogas plant, adding that for one to construct a digester which is very key in biogas production, needs to part with sh2m which is considered high for low income earners.

He noted that there is a high demand for cleaner and readily available energy from biogas, but the cost associated with the establishment of biogas energy digester, has kept the production of gas very low.

"I would want to appeal to the government, to ensure that it makes the cost for acquiring the digester cheaper, this will help us save the environment and also create more jobs for our people," Kato added.

In its 2008 state of the environment report, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA, showed that the country was losing 90,000 hectares annually.

Statistics by ministry of water and environment indicate that Uganda loses 120,000 hectares of forest cover each year, to meet the demands for cooking and small scale industries.

However according to Kato, with high production of biogas energy by Ugandans, the country is likely to have reduced use of firewood for cooking.

In his remarks, Anthony Okello, from SNV, a Netherlands non-government organization urged Ugandans to embrace biogas, to save their lives as well as the environment.

"In 2007, we carried out a survey, which revealed that  that at least 2000 households in Uganda, have materials such as cow dung, which can be used for biogas making," Michael Ahimbisibwe, an official from the ministry of energy said.

The World Health Organization (WHO, estimates that 4.3 million people die every year from diseases such as lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases pneumonia among other diseases due to using unclean energy which emits smoke.

Out of these deaths, Uganda contributes 18,250 deaths annually.