Biratnagar, March 20:

55 households at Khorsanekhap village in Itahari municipality have installed biogas plants in their houses. They installed the biogas plants to control deforestation rate in the area.

The village is situated near a jungle. After the installation of the biogas plants, villagers are happy because of the facilities.

“We are using the biogas plant to control the deforestation rate in our area. This village has become a model village,” said a housewife, Devi Maya Rai.

“The locals were lured to install biogas plants in their houses when the Purbanchal Grameen Bikas Bank (PGBB) provided them Rs 7,000 loan to each family without any deposit, since the Mangsir month (November-December 2006),” said executive director of the PGBB, Shyam Dev Yogi. We started this campaign for poor families in the village, he said.

“We had to spend a lot of time to search for firewood in the jungle for cooking. Now we are free from that burden after the installation of biogas plants,” said a local Bal Kumar Rai. Local women have been engaged for the publicity of the biogas plants.

“Although the jungle is situated nearby, even poor families have been lured to install the biogas plants,” said the PGBB Itahari in charge, Khem Timsina.

Public Energy Development Company has played the role of the mediator for this ampaign. “It is a good news that poor families have also become conscious about safe forests,” said Nita Bhatta, chairperson of the Company.

The PGBB is going to provide loans to more than 1,238 households for installation of biogas plants this year. “Within the next fiscal year, we will provide this facility to about 5,000 households from different areas,” Yogi said.