Biogas helps prevent deforestation

ISLAMABAD: The rural population in Pakistan primarily uses firewood and cow dung cakes as sources of energy for cooking and heating as they are easily available and also economically viable.
The increase in population has exacerbated the pressure on forests, resulting in rapid deforestation and loss of soil fertility.
Alternative sources of domestic energy like kerosene oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and coal are not only costly but are also not readily available in rural areas. However, biogas energy from animal dung has proved to be a viable source of decentralised energy that offers a cost-effective solution to the rural communities.
Pakistan, despite its enormous potential, is an energy-deficient country. Its total primary energy consumption is estimated at around 62 million tons of oil equivalent (MTOE).
Of this, 85% is met from non-commercial energy resources like biomass, firewood, charcoal and cow dung while only 14% is acquired from commercial energy resources. Consumption of non-commercial energy is mostly concentrated in the household sector, particularly in rural areas.
However, the reliance on traditional non-commercial energy sources creates certain problems with regard to sustainability, mainly in terms of social and environmental concerns.
In rural areas, most of the energy expenditure is on arranging fuel for cooking as around 45% of their energy expenditure goes to solid biomass fuels such as firewood, agricultural residues and cow dung cakes.
An additional 12% goes to LPG, kerosene, natural gas and candles used for cooking and lighting. -PNP