If you go to the countryside in India, you will notice the usage of buffalo dung for various functions. The primary one is as a fuel for cooking while pasting walls and floors of the houses is another one. It is noticeable here that pasting of walls and floors by cow or buffalo dung is believed to have anti-ceptic properties whereby protecting children from various infections.
While using buffalo dung as a fuel for cooking, a lot of smoke is produced. In connection to this, smokeless chulahs (chullahs) or stoves were manufactured and installed in various villages by NGOs and other bodies. At the same time, a gas plant using dung is another option where this form of energy can be effectively used.
Using dung as manure in fields and vegetable plantation is another area of usage. In a very recent usage, some villagers are using this dung for heating water is a specially-made geyser that consumes all type of waste just like incinerator.
If somebody thinks that solar energy can make the usage of dung extinct then he/she might be over-zealous about it. No wonder that solar energy is the panacea of all energy shortage that rural India is facing but effective usage of dung can not be ruled out as a concern.
Do you have some ideas or suggestions that can be worked out to make buffalo or cow dung more useful in an ecology-friendly way? Do you think rural entrepreneurship can harness this source of energy in a better and effective way that has minimal impact on the environment?
(Photo taken near Thuhi Village, Nabha, Punjab)
