First Day in the Field - Biogas Project

Today we went out for SEDS fieldwork on the biogas project. Shammy was driver and worker, with Manni in charge and working on what they call ‘motivation’. Ronny came along too for the ride and to see the project.

The first thing of interest that we saw was near to Penukonda, where some government workers were planting trees alongside the road. Seeing tree-planting undertaken by the government was a new experience for Ronny, who has been volunteering with SEDS for almost 20 years, and remembers SEDS practically begging the government to get involved with this kind of project.

When we got to the first SEDS biogas unit that we were visiting that day, Manni had a bit talk with the family while Shammy set about fixing a flexible pipeline from the gas output valve into the family's cooking area. This particular family hadn't been topping up their biogas unit, so Manni did her 'motivation' work. This involved explaining to the family how simple it was to use, explaining that there would be an income from the unit within the next couple of years and that it was free to operate, and (I think) talking about sustainability and the environment.

Manni at the biogas unit

The biogas units work by getting filled at the top (left of the picture above) with cow dung and food waste, mixed with water to make a slurry. The slurry then travels down the pipe you can see into a tank underground, under the concrete dome. The slurry ferments with the bacteria in it, and because there is limited oxygen the gas they produce is methane, which is collected in the dome and released through the valve at the top. The slurry gradually gets pushed out to the lower tank, from where it can be collected and used as an enriched natural fertiliser for growing crops. As it is powered from waste, it is free to operate, and installation was carried out for free by SEDS. The downside is that the project was funded by a German company, who in return for funding it get the carbon credits - a source of income - for 5 years, before the income is passed to the families using the biogas units. 5 years is a long time to see no returns, so many families are not very interested in the biogas. This particular family stopped using theirs because they had to sell their cattle when they could no longer afford fodder, so now there is no manure to use. Manni explained to them the benefits of using the biogas versus gathering firewood (the work involved, the smoke), and versus using bottled LPG gas (the cost of the LPG).

Shammy running the flexible gas pipe from the biogas unit to the cooking area

Inside the house: the new biogas stove next to the family's wood fire

Outside the house

The next visit took us to another village, to get to it we had to pass the new Kia factory. The new Kia factory is a big topic of conversation here as it will drastically change things in the area. There are some new jobs in construction for Indian labourers, but obviously construction will end. Kia or their contractors are also building 'Korean Town' and 'Korean Hotel' to house all of the Korean workers who are either already here, or will coming to the Kia factory. All of this has made the land prices around the area of Penukonda rise, which is already causing rising tensions between those who do own land already, and those who don't. The rising prices also mean that very few people could possibly afford rents in some areas, and who knows what longer term effects this will have on people in the next few years. It is difficult at the moment to see how the Koreans will add to the local economy with the way they are segregating themselves and importing Korean things more than buying local - and who knows how much it will affect prices if they do start buying local once they are more settled? With so many local people living rural subsistence lifestyles, even small price rises in any commodities they need - from clothes to filtered water to cooking implements - could have a very serious effect on those people.

The new Kia factory under construction

This next biogas unit was at a place where the family work in sericulture - the cultivation of silkworms - so it was a real treat to be shown around their work, I was fascinated! I will write another post describing the sericulture in more detail.

Silkworms starting to make their cocoons 

This particular family did have cattle and had been using their biogas unit, and while we were there and Shammy fixed up the pipeline to the cooking area, I watched how the woman of the family mixed the slurry for the biogas - not a job I was envious of, especially as they mix the slurry by hand with no gloves or anything!

Making the slurry and letting it down into the biogas chamber

The trip to the third and final biogas unit we visit today took us past much agricultural land, where we saw workers in the fields. Much of the work is done by hand, and we see small groups of women working in the fields. Some is done using basic equipment, such as ploughing with an ox team. We see only one example of mechanised farming, some threshing is going on, and all the rest is done through tough manual labour. It appears somewhat idyllic, but the thought of the hard work and the aches and pains these workers must suffer gives me a whole new appreciation for the food we eat while we're here, and makes me think of how we don't even realise how lucky we are to have supermarkets to buy our food with minimal effort. We also pass what appear to be areas of wetland. Ronny explains that these are in fact water tanks (reservoirs), and when I see how large a surface area they cover I understand why evaporation is such a problem and why the watershed management involves desilting smaller areas of each tank rather than the whole lot.

Water tanks - often created where there is clay soil to stop the water draining away, when the water level drops and the bottom is dug then the clay can be used for making bricks.

Another water tank, with a dhobi ghat (a place where the dhobis - laundry washers - work)

At this last village we followed the same pattern as before, Manni checking in with the family to see if and how they were using the biogas unit, giving advice and occasional stern 'motivation', while Shammy set up the pipeline - this time with assistance from the local SEDS fieldworker, Anant.

Manni checking in with how they are using the biogas unit

Another colourful peninsular rock agama

After we finished at this village, we found somewhere to have a late lunch before Manni took us to a surprise destination she had planned for us. This was another village, called Veerapuram, where every year they welcome 'Siberia birds'. This gave us some confusion about what species the birds were, as we assumed they were migratory Siberian Cranes, also known as Snow Cranes, but when we compared images of the birds we realised that they must actually be Painted Storks. The populations of these birds are declining, and they are categorised as 'near threatened'. Most had already left their nesting area, but we still saw several juvenile birds as well as some giving us a bit of an aerial display.

The villagers here are very welcoming to us, and they seem very proud of their cranes. I ask Manni if they consider the cranes to be good luck, as I know this is common in several other countries, and she confirms that they share this "superstition".

As we leave the village, Manni tells us that we are finished with fieldwork for the day but we need to go to the market to buy some provisions for the SEDS kitchen, so we stop at Somandepalli village for its market on the way back. I follow Manni, a fierce and efficient shopper, around the crowded market trying to help, but Shammy is too kind to let me do any actual work so I'm only able to help a little and mostly I just watch Manni at work selecting the vegetables which pass her quality control standards and haggling for the best price.

When we are nearly finished shopping, Manni points out a building and says that this is her house, so when we are finished we can come in for tea. Manni introduces us to her 2 adult sons, who are staying with her at the moment. Both are well educated and are very proud of their mum for working so hard to make it possible for them to create a better life for themselves through their education and entrepreneurship. It is very moving to see their pride in their mum, and how touched Manni is to hear what they say about her and the possibilities she has created for them.

Manni and her sons