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Locadia Mavhudzi, Midlands Correspondent

THE Silobela community has embraced the use of biogas at household level as a smart energy alternative, which has improved their livelihoods.

This follows a successful pilot programme funded by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA). The biogas project has enabled the people of Gobo and Msilahobe areas in Wards 18 and 24 respectively to use the energy for cooking and lighting purposes thereby reducing deforestation in the area.

Silobela is already a highly deforestated due to land clearance for farming purposes. EMA Midlands environmental planning and monitoring officer, Ms Anastancia Mangisi, said they had completed a pilot project in two wards where households were now using the energy from livestock waste.

“We trained 15 builders who will be constructing more household digesters around Kwekwe and Silobela areas. So far a community of over 100 families has embraced this innovation. The household biogas projects will cascade to the other districts in the province and so far 30 youths have been trained to spearhead the same project in Lower Gweru,” she said.

Ms Mangisi said the biogas project has been a success as there was less pressure on deforestation in the area. She added that biogas was a possible alternative form of energy that can substitute traditional fuels like firewood and dried cow dung as it is suitable for rural household cooking, heating and lighting.

One of the locals, Mrs Sithembile Munodawafa, said the biogas energy project has enabled her to scale up her chicken rearing project due to the availability of improved lighting and heating services.

“We are grateful for the new innovation as we are now able to derive energy from livestock waste. I have since expanded my chicken rearing project and am optimistic that I will grow my business,” she said.

Biogas is an energy product derived from organic materials such as animal dung that is decomposed in the absence of oxygen, thereby making a mixture that is mainly made up of methane (gas). The gas can be used directly for cooking and lighting or for generating electricity.