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.
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"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.