Alternate source of energy: speakers underscore need for promoting biogas tube wells

Over 1.3 billion people in the world were living without electricity and one billion people, including around 700 million South Asians, will remain without electricity until 2030 if the Nations couldn't switch to alternative sources of energy since conventional sources would be becoming costlier with the each passing day.
This was stated by the speakers at a training workshop on "Construction, Operation & Maintenance of Bio-Gas Tube wells" jointly organised by Directorate General Agriculture (Field) Punjab and University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF) on Saturday at New Senate Hall.
The workshop was presided over by the Vice Chancellor UAF Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, while Vice Chancellor PMAS Arid Agricultural University Rawalpindi Professor Dr Rai Niaz Ahmad, Additional Secretary, Planning Ahmad Ali Zafar and D.G. Field Dr Muhammad Bashir were the guest of honour. Others speakers include Project Director, Dr Muhammad Ghaffar Dogar, Professor Dr Muhammad Iqbal, Dean Faculty of Agriculture, UAF, Deputy Project Director, Dr Muhammad Ashraf, D. G. PCRET Islamabad Khalid Islam and Dr Manzoor Ahmad. Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan urged the need for commercial options of Bio-Gas potential with constant marketing aspects. He stressed for introduction of new disciplines of software Engineering and Material Science Engineering Disciplines in the university keeping in view the requirement of precision futuristic agriculture.
He called for treatment of methane (CH4) gas into Bio-Gas Energy for the purpose of protection of environment and green house impact. Dr Rai Niaz Ahmad said that Pakistan has huge potential to develop renewable energy projects since it was the third largest off-grid population after India and Bangladesh and has excellent solar, bio-mass, micro-hydro opportunities coupled with centralised land-owning, which could make credit guarantees easier.
He said that many projects are being launched at Chakwal which has great potential for horticulture and agricultural productivity. Ahmad Ali Zafar said that presently, the domestic solid waste in Pakistan has not been managed in a satisfactory and adequate manner as far as its collection, transportation & disposal or dumping are concerned regardless of the size of the city.
He added that polluted dust blows and people suffers from living in such conditions. "It is estimated that the urban areas of Pakistan generate over 55,000 tones of solid wastes daily," he maintained. Dr Muhammad Iqbal said that we can minimise the total energy cost of tube well installed in Punjab, which is touching Rs 337 billion annually. He added that Punjab can generate 5,400 Mega Watt Electricity with Bio-Mass.
Dr Muhammad Bashir said that as per livestock census, there are 46.69 million of animals (buffaloes, cows, bullocks) in Pakistan (FBS, 2002b) on the average, the daily dung dropping of a medium size animal is estimated at 15 kg per-day. He was of the view that Pakistan is spending 16 billion dollars per annum on the import of oil for generation of energy which could be minimised by designing such Bio-Gas projects.
Dr M. Ghaffar Dogar said that government of Punjab in first phase has launched 50 Bio-Gas plants project with subsidy of over 5 lac/unit and it will be completed in end of May this year. Later on Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan UAF VC and D.G. Agriculture (Field) Punjab Dr Bashir Ahmad signed a MoU in order to promote collaboration between both organisation for successful launching of Bio-Gas Tube well scheme.