2 months ago
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Households crossed the state whitethorn beryllium feeling the vigor of home cylinder scarcity. But the residents of Kattanbavi, a tiny hamlet adjacent Belagavi, person small to interest about. Most of the houses successful this colony of astir 1,200 radical person gobar state plants. They were acceptable up 30-35 years ago, but are inactive functioning.
“I deliberation determination are astir 300 houses successful the colony and 80 per cent of them person gobar gas,’’ explained Rahul Kande, a resident. Villagers notation to the gobar state units arsenic ‘Deena Bandhu’ units. These units person had aggregate benefits — they person provided them with substance for cooking and lighting, the effluent of cattle dung slurry has served arsenic fertiliser, accrued per capita carnal rearing, and kept the colony clean.
“We support speechmaking astir LPG cylinder shortage successful Belagavi and Hukkeri. But we are not worried. Few radical person cylinders here,” says Bhairavnath Kothekar.
Kattanbavi lies astatine a region of astir 20 km from the territory office and 4 km from the Maharashtra border. Most of its residents are farmers oregon sheep rearers. Most houses person cows, buffalo, and sheep. The carnal discarded and quality discarded are fed into the gobar state plants done underground pipes, untouched by quality hands. Over time, the size of gobar state units has shrunk, and they tin beryllium enactment up successful little than a quadrate metre country successful the backyard.
The units were introduced by members of the NGOs Jana Jagarana Samsthe and Khadi Gram Abhivruddhi Sangha, who person been moving successful Kattanbavi and surrounding villages since 1990.
Shivaji Kaganikar, the 76-year-old Devraj Urs awardee, has led the inaugural done volunteers. “We indispensable person convinced astatine slightest astir 20,000 farmers crossed Belagavi territory to enactment up gobar state plants,” helium says, adding, “Earlier, our absorption was connected gobar state plants. But successful caller years, arsenic the exertion developed, farmers person enactment up gobar state plants that judge inputs from toilets”. Most of the aged and caller plants are successful Belagavi, Hukkeri and Khanapur taluks.
Mr. Kaganikar, who hails from a adjacent village, came to Kattanbavi successful 1990 to tally a schoolhouse for dropouts. “At that time, villagers were cutting down trees for firewood. I was disquieted astir it. Late Srirang Kamath, a state combatant and laminitis of KGAS, introduced maine to gobar state units. S.K. Desai Kadolikar sent maine to Nashik for grooming successful the operation and attraction of gobar state units. Armed with this knowledge, I began spreading consciousness astir it. I began going to each location with my friends, asking radical to halt cutting trees and usage gobar state instead. With the fiscal assistance of the Janajagarana Sanstha, cattle dung state units were installed successful each the houses that had cattle. This encouraged immoderate others to statesman rearing cattle,” helium said.
At the start, determination was small consciousness astir this technology. There was besides a feeling that the units were lone for large farmers. “We fought hard to alteration that mindset. Now, the colony is astir self-sufficient successful fuel,’’ helium said.
Mr. Kothekar said that earlier his household had 5-6 cows and buffaloes. But present we person lone 1 cow, but inactive our gobar state works is running, helium said. His member Maruti, who acceptable up a caller portion a fewer months ago, has spent conscionable astir ₹25,000 connected it. He has connected his toilet to the unit.
Mallavva Pavale, a homemaker said maintaining a portion is easy. “We enactment a bucket of slurry successful the greeting and different successful the evening. There is nary request to bash thing else,’’ she said.
