Narayangarh, July 7:

Youths in Kalyanpur of Bharatpur municipality 13 of Chitwan district have begun producing biogas from water hyacinth in Bishajari Tal located in the wetlands of Chitwan.

The exercise has a twofold objective: Produce biogas while eliminating water hyacinth infesting the waters. The biogas was generated using the same method for generating biogas from cowdung.

A plant has been set up in the mid-area of Bandevi Barandabhar community forest located near Bishajari Tal which is located in Chitwan National Park. Youths associated with Sustainable Community Development Center (SCDC) in Bharatpur have joined in the act.

Member of SCDC Krishna Subedi said biogas produced from water hyacinth is similar to that from cowdung. A plant with the capacity of 6 cubic meters has been constructed on the premises of Bandevi Community Forest to produce the gas, Subedi said, adding the plant is producing the gas from 13th of Jestha after they put 1 tonne of water hyacinth in the plant.

Peon of Bandevi Office Prem Kumari Lama said she has been making tea and cooking food using the gas from water hyacinth since a month.

Secretary and program co-coordinator of SCDC Binod Shrestha said poor people would benefit if plants were constructed in their houses. They would go to the lake to bring the water hyacinth, the raw material for their plant, Shrestha said, adding they are ready to construct biogas plants in many houses of such poor people if assistance came from donors.