The biogas capital of Bhutan

Gauri Shankar’s six cows not only provide him butter, cheese and milk, but also the energy to heat and cook food.

Since November last year, it has become an early morning routine for the 31-year old farmer of Hangay village in Sipsu to collect cow dung and fill it into a concrete pit a few metres from his kitchen.

The farmer gathers 45kg of dung in a tin, which is churned with water, and poured into the airtight digester pit. The gas from the pit comes up through a pipe with several valves that connects to a stove in the kitchen. The gas will last the entire day.

Having received a month-long hands-on training for trainers on biogas technology through the UNDP GEF small grants programme, Gauri Shankar now assists other members of the Hangay farmers group to build biogas plants.

Since November, they have completed 16 of the 25 plants funded by UNDP GEF small grants programme.

Farmers said earlier they had to travel to Samtse, about 50km from Sipsu, to refill their liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders, spending about Nu 800, including travel expenses. “Not anymore now,” Gauri Shankar said.

The 91 households of Hangay village are prone to wild elephants destroying their crop, which is why most farmers largely depend on livestock. Each household owns between two to 20 cattle each.

Another farmer Devi Maya, who recently installed biogas plant at her home, said rearing livestock was advantageous. “Apart from dairy products, there’s a lot more my cattle give me,” she said, excited.

Other farmers, who are not a part of the group, have also shown interest, said Gauri Shankar, who is also the group’s treasurer. “But they’ll have to bear their own expenses, if they want to build one and we shall assist them.”

Construction of a biogas plant is expected to cost between Nu 40,000 to 45,000 depending on the location; and includes the cost of the cement pit, stove, pipes and valves. A properly constructed and well-maintained biogas plant is said to last at least 20 years.

In fixed dome biogas plants, two underground pits are built – a digester pit with a dome shaped cover and the slurry reservoir, built above the digester. As the reservoir emits gas, it collects in the dome and displaces some of the slurry into the reservoir. As gas is used, the slurry flows back into the digester to replace it.

Biogas plants use bacteria to break down wet organic matter, like animal dung, human waste and food waste that produces biogas, a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, and also a semi-solid residue.

Biogas can also be used for lighting.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan construction of the Information Technology Park in Thimphu

The construction of the Information Technology Park, the Thimphu Tech Park, is on track. According to officials working for the project, about 50 percent of the construction works have been completed. The IT Park is expected to be operational by September this year.

Yesterday, a delegation from the World Bank led by the vice president for South Asia, Isabel Guerrero, visited the site to review the progress.

The park is being developed on five acres of land in Wangchutaba, a few kilometers south of the capital Thimphu.

Manju Haththotuwa, the advisor, said “it will generate jobs, help bring in foreign direct investments, and make Bhutan an IT based society.”

It is expected to create 700 direct and 2,800 indirect jobs in the next five years.

It is being developed by Thimphu Techpark private limited, a joint venture of Druk Holding and Investment, and Assetz, a property development firm which is based in India and Singapore at a cost of over 10 million US dollars.

Source: BBS

Bhutan His Majesty King arrives in Bangladesh

His Majesty is welcomed to Dhaka, Bangladesh, with a Guard of Honour yesterday. His Majesty is on a four-day state visit.

Japanese ambassador to Bhutan

The Japanese ambassador to Bhutan presented his credentials to His Majesty the King at the Tashichhodzong this morning.

Ambassador Akitaka Saiki was serving as the Director General for Asia and Oceania in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before he was appointed as ambassador to Bhutan.

Later, His Majesty the King hosted a lunch for Ambassador Akitaka Saiki and his delegation and Japanese working in the capital.

His Majesty the King expressed his condolence for the recent tragic earthquake in Japan and the resultant tsunami in which thousands of people perished. Thousands are still missing and a countless number have been rendered homeless.

The Japanese ambassador conveyed his sincere thanks to His Majesty the King, the royal government, and the people of Bhutan for their support, solidarity, and good wishes. He said the Japanese people are deeply touched by the concern and the affection of the Bhutanese people, from His Majesty to the King to the cabinet ministers and common people.

“I would like to convey my sincere thanks to Bhutan for the tremendous help and support. I would like to thank for their condolence, the sympathy and the kind messages from the Bhutanese people. The messages are reaching the hearts of the Japanese people and the government,” he said.

He said despite the tragedy, the Japanese government’s commitment towards Bhutan will remain unchanged. He said their assistance in various areas will continue. “The assistance will continue but because of the disaster some delay has to be accepted. A commitment is a commitment,” he said.

Source: BBS

Bhutan finance ministry received Nu 1.3B from the World Bank yesterday

In a move that will help government strengthen and develop its institutions and rural infrastructure, among others, the finance ministry received Nu 1.3B from the World Bank yesterday.

The fund is more of a concessional loan than commercial borrowing.

Finance minister Wangdi Norbu said the concessional loan is not related to any specific project, but can be used for different types of expenditure, like the building of schools, hospitals and other capital assets.

“However, the amount cannot be utilised in meeting recurrent expenditure,” he said, adding that government’s establishment cost will have to be met from internal revenue.

Of the total, Nu 1,086M will be channeled towards the development policy credit, which will strengthen government institutions to promote efficiency and effectiveness through sound fiscal and public financial management.

The rest of the amount will be used for additional financing of the decentralised rural development project, targeted at strengthening local government administration through capacity building at a local level.

Bhutan's World Bank representative, Mark LaPrairie said the rural development project was also aimed at providing increased access to market, farm roads and in increasing agriculture productivity of cash crops.

“It will also focus on rural infrastructure development, support improved technologies and in institutional strengthening of the renewable natural resources sectors,” he said.

The original amount, negotiated some time in March 2005, was at USD 7M.

During World Bank's managing director Dr Ngozi Okonjo-lweala’s visit last year, Bhutan was assured of receiving concessionary loans until 2014, despite the per capita income disqualifying the country from receiving the assistance.

Lyonpo Wangdi Norbu said such type of concessionary loans will soon become less common, as the country gradually sees a domestic growth and develops, in terms of the per capita income.

Meanwhile, the signing of the financing agreement was postponed, following the High Court ruling on constitutional validity of receiving loans, that was considered a money bill and demanded its approval through the parliament.

But the Supreme Court had clarified that the government could raise loans and make grants in accordance to the Public Finance Act.

The agreement signing between the finance minister Wangdi Norbu and World Bank’s vice president Isabel Guerrero yesterday also marked the opening of the bank’s new office in Thimphu.

Officials said it will facilitate the bank to work closely with different branches of the government.

World Bank remains one of Bhutan’s major development partners starting 1983. Since then, it has financed over 13 loan projects amounting to USD 150.127M and 20 grant projects amounting to USD 62.970M.