This primary school in a village in Purulia district of West Bengal has implemented biogas technology for preparing the mid-day meals for students, converting cow dung into cooking fuel to reduce costs and promote eco-friendly practices.
Whoops of joy hail the bell at around 11am, announcing the end of classes for the day at Gosaidih Primary School in Manbazar block of Purulia district in West Bengal. A wave of excitement sweeps through the campus. The children – students of classes 1 to 4 – get ready for their hot and fresh mid-day meal.
On the menu: rice, dal, mixed vegetables and boiled egg. The fare remains consistent, occasionally featuring soybean or khichdi as alternatives. However, what sets these meals apart is the fact that they are cooked using green fuel. For the past month, the school’s kitchen stoves have been fuelled by biogas, produced from cow manure or gobar.
Biogas stoves are bigger and produce a more powerful flame than LPG stoves, which reduces cooking time almost by half.
“Using biogas as cooking fuel has not only reduced LPG costs but also provided a clean and safe alternative to traditional methods,” said one of the two cooks in the school. “Cooking has become quicker and more efficient on these stoves.”
Students like Raima Gope have noticed the difference.
“The food cooked using biogas is tasty, and I have heard that it is good for our environment as well,” she said.
This initiative is the first-of-its kind in the district. Founded in 1971, Gosaidih Primary School has a student strength of 76, with 43 girls and 33 boys enrolled in it. The primary school curriculum includes Bengali, English, maths and science. It is a day-boarding school, and all its students come from nearby areas, mostly belonging from rural farming backgrounds.
The adoption of biogas for cooking has brought about economic benefits. The monthly fuel expenses with LPG stoves amounted to Rs 2,000, but these costs have been slashed to half since the installation of the biogas unit.
“Earlier, our daily cooking expenditure was Rs 100. Now, with biogas, it’s down to Rs 50,” said Bhadari Mahato, the head teacher of the school.
The primary school has been provided with biogas under the Patharkata Gobardhan Project, a renewable energy initiative of the West Bengal government started in October 2023. According to Purulia district magistrate Dr Rajat Nanda, the expenditure on the project has been Rs 35 lakh.
Biogas production from cow dung begins in a digester tank where the organic matter decomposes. As this decomposition occurs, methane and carbon dioxide gases are released. Methane — a flammable gas and main component of biogas — is then collected, pressurised and piped to power kitchen stoves, providing a renewable energy source for cooking.
The biogas unit in the school is operated by technicians associated with the Gobardhan project. The gobar is diluted, turned in a grinding machine and fed to a tank. The process occurs in fermentation tanks without oxygen, where bacteria breaks down the waste into reusable products — biogas and digestate, leftover manure stripped of its methane and carbon dioxide.
About three tractor-loads of cowdung are required a month to keep the plant running. Apart from a biogas storage tank, there is also a slurry separator machine and a control room where the power supply is maintained to run the machines.
“Our school was chosen as a site for this programme due to the close proximity from the local, weekly cattle market,” Mahato explained. Cow dung from the market become the source for the biomass used as input to fuel the plant.
The district administration also plans to extend this scheme to another school in Purulia in the coming year, as well as install biogas pipelines in 70 households of Jitujuri gram panchayat to encourage financial savings and reduce carbon footprint.
“Nearly every family here has a few heads of livestock, and they should be empowered to use gobar gas as cooking fuel in their households as well,” said Mahato.
The slurry obtained from the plant is odourless, and is reused as organic fertiliser to grow vegetables in the school’s kitchen garden. Teachers and students have initiated the cultivation of cabbage, chilies, coriander and okra.
Payel Banerjee, an assistant teacher, explained that they encourage children to nurture and water these plants. The use of slurry as an organic fertiliser offers various benefits, including enhancing soil fertility, maintaining moisture levels promoting air circulation, thereby preventing the growth of unwanted grass among the crops.
Beyond financial savings, the transition to biogas represents a conscientious choice for environmental preservation. Unlike LPG stoves, biogas operation is entirely zero-waste, aligning with sustainable practices.
“We hope this initiative serves as a real-life example of environmental conservation for our students,” Mahato said. By witnessing first-hand the benefits of eco-friendly alternatives, the children are empowered to embrace environmental stewardship as an integral part of their education and daily lives.
Environmentalists hail biogas on two counts: it prevents methane created by decaying organic matter from entering the atmosphere in its pure form, and is renewable.
According to several studies, the use of wood-fired stoves in rural households causes indoor air pollution, and increases the risk of migraine, asthma and vision problems amongst women spending long hours in the kitchen, as well as children.
“Biogas would be a sustainable solution for locals in multiple ways, and we are really looking forward to it,” Mahato said.
The lead image on top shows students of Gosaidih Primary School waiting for their mid-day meals. (Photo by Sukanya Roy)
Sukanya Roy is a freelance journalist based out of Kolkata, and she believes in crafting impactful stories on the themes of gender, human rights, sexuality, environment, and the lives of denotified tribes and communities in India.
