Girls turn poo to clean power

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Published Dec 10, 2016

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Cameroon - An

initiative by youth organisations in Cameroon to turn human

waste into biogas is reducing pollution and providing cheap,

renewable energy to the growing populations of the university

towns of Buea and Bamenda.

Bioenergy-Cameroon, a non-governmental organisation run by

young people, installs equipment that converts waste from septic

tanks and pit latrines into biogas, which can be used for

cooking or heating and can power small generators to run

household electrical appliances.

The organisation says its efforts are spurring the use of

clean energy in homes and secondary schools where grid

electrical power is non-existent or unreliable and alternative

sources of energy such as gas cylinders are expensive.

"Many have come to discover the cheap energy in their

backyard and are not only embracing the technology but are also

learning the transformation process," said Cedrick Kemajou,

Bioenergy's coordinator.

As it expands, the project is bringing local councils and

other youth groups on board.

"With exponential growth of the university town of Buea, we

had problems handling human waste. That is why we are glad that

this waste can be used to produce energy that will help the

residents not only fill the energy gap but also tackle human

waste and sewage (management) problems," said Patrick Ekema,

mayor of Buea.

Ekema said that with easier access to energy, the council

can better tackle other development problems such as providing

clean water.

Girls go green

Biogas is produced by connecting a septic tank to a

bio-digester which breaks down the organic matter, producing a

natural gas known as bio-methane.

Students in schools where the infrastructure is installed

are trained in the biogas transformation process and are shown

how to build, install and maintain the biodigester and

generators at the school.

"We give practical training to girls in colleges on how

energy is generated from the sun, water and human waste," said

Monique Ntumngia, coordinator of Green Girls, a Cameroonian NGO

that trains young women in technology.

"We target female students especially, to break barriers and

get them into innovative technology," Ntumngia explained. Green

Girls has trained 600 girls in schools in towns such as Bafut,

Nkwen and Mankon, she said.

An additional 3 000 households in Buea and Bamenda have

received domestic biodigesters through the project, and demand

is growing fast, project organisers say.

Many students in Buea and Bamenda say they have long

suffered from persistent blackouts on the traditional grid

power, where energy largely comes from hydropower.

"We could not study well during such blackouts that

sometimes last for over a week. We have been suffering even

though we are blessed with a clean energy source in our

backyard," said Magdalene Lum, a student at the University of

Buea.

Read also:  Biogas plant plugs power gap

"The new energy from our human waste will supply us

electricity constantly and cheaper," Lum said.

Costs and benefits

According to data from the World Bank, only 53 percent of

Cameroon's population of 23 million have access to electricity.

Bottled cooking gas can be difficult to afford, especially

for Cameroon's poorest. A 12kg cylinder of liquefied petroleum

gas costs 6,000 Central African francs (FCFA), or nearly $10,

according to the Ministry of Trade.

Families benefiting from the cheap biogas say they are using

the money they save for other essential items such as schooling

and medical care.

"Biogas has spared me the trouble of paying monthly

electricity bills and buying bottled gas that is regularly out

of stock. This has saved me some money to support my children's

education," said Mercy Kum, a trader in Buea.

College officials are pleased that biogas insulates their

budgets from what can be volatile electricity prices. Rates

fluctuate according to the availability of hydropower, which is

increasingly vulnerable as climate change brings more droughts

and floods.

"The biogas we generate provides a constant supply of the

energy the school needs, unlike the hydroelectricity that

regularly goes on and off," said Peter Nke, principal of Baptist

High School Buea.

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Having a biodigester installed and receiving training to use

and maintain it costs 500,000-700,000 FCFA ($800-$1,100), a sum

paid by the institution or households that request the service.

A group of homes can use a common biodigester to share the

expense.

Innovation

Turning waste into biogas may not be new in Cameroon, but

the youth organisations say producing it from human waste in

multiple households and institutions, and training students -

especially girls - on the technology is an innovation.

"Most boarding schools in the Northwest and Southwest

regions now use biogas for cooking and lighting produced from

human waste, with trained students to manage the process," said

Ntumngia.

Samuel Nguiffo, executive secretary of the Center for

Environment and Development (CED), an NGO in Cameroon, explained

that most communities in urban areas traditionally use charcoal

or kerosene stoves for cooking.

Charcoal production creates a huge demand for wood, which

has frequently led the government to impose bans on charcoal

burning and forest destruction.

The use of biogas energy should help preserve the country's

forests, Nguiffo said.

CED estimates that the biogas project may be reducing

greenhouse gases by as much as 60 percent in the vicinity of the

projects, as well as curbing pollution from open air defecation

and pit latrines.

"Cameroon will derive enormous economic, health and

especially environmental benefits if renewable energy efforts

are spread throughout the country," he said.

THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

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