TD390: Supervised Learning: Study Report

Current Status of Household Biogas Plants in Thane District: A Study

Submitted By Nidhi Gupta (08d10033) Ajinkya Latkar (08d10037)

Under the guidance of

Prof. A. B. Rao
During May-June 2012

Center for Technological Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA)

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Contents
Sr. No.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Topic
Introduction Technical Details Details about the survey carried out Characteristics of the villages surveyed General characteristics of the biogas plants surveyed Recommendations Survey Data Photo Gallery Visit to Dahanu district: A comparison between Wada and Dahanu Acknowledgements

Page No.
2 3 5 7 8 11 12 23 25

10

27

Page |1

Introduction
Renewable energy is one of the vital sources to meet partially the global energy demand of developed as well as developing countries. Specifically speaking about India, biogas plants can be a major source of renewable energy in most of the rural areas and also some urban sectors, because of the simple reason of availability of the required raw material (cow dung, human wastes and other organic wastes) and apt weather conditions favouring the production of biogas. Biogas plants can be of different types of which fixed dome and floating dome or floating cover/tank are in use in various parts of the country since many years. The generated gas can be used for cooking, lighting, power generation, in case of community biogas plants, and the sludge can be used as fertilizer for land. As already mentioned, the raw material is easily available in many rural areas, and biogas plants have often been integrated with toilets to supplement the feed, in which case they are called "night soil" based biogas plants. In the present study, 178 biogas plants were surveyed across 8 villages in Wada taluka of the Thane district, in May, June and July 2012, by door to door questioning. The information gathered in this survey has been cumulatively analyzed in this report. The technological suitability in the context of prevailing situation, economic viability and future scope of biogas plants has been evaluated. Further, the to compare the characteristics of the biogas plants in Wada taluka with those in other parts of Thane district, a visit was made to a village in the Dahanu district to survey any plants there, the comments on which are presented in the last section. The findings of this study would give some directions and guidelines for future planning and implementation of biogas plants in Maharashtra state.

Page |2

Technical Details
Biogas typically refers to a gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Organic waste such as dead plant and animal material, animal faeces, and kitchen waste can be converted into a gaseous fuel called biogas. Biogas originates from biogenic material and is a type of bio fuel. For household cooking purposes, in rural areas, biogas is produced in small plants which typically come in two types, fixed dome plants and floating dome plants. Both of these types work on animal excreta as feed, and may or may not incorporate human wastes into it. Typically a biogas plant consists of the following parts: 1. Feed inlet, for cowdung and household organic wastes 2. Digester 3. Gas holder (defines fixed dome or floating dome) 4. Outlet for bio slurry 5. Attached toilet for incorporation of human wastes (optional) Fixed dome type biogas plants: In this type of biogas plants, the gas holder is a fixed hemispherical slab, attached to the digester and constructed a few feet into the ground depending on the size of the biogas plant. The slab/dome is non removable, since it is completely under the ground and hence it extremely difficult to repair if it gets cracked or damaged.

Fig. 1: Schematic of a fixed dome biogas plant

Page |3

Floating dome type biogas plants: In this type of biogas plants, the gas holder is a removable iron or fiber tank, which is fitted above the digester, and where gas collects. The tank being removable and replaceable, it is relatively easier to repair any damages in this type of plants, since the tank can be simply removed and replaced. The tank lies partially above the ground in these plants, and can be easily removed.

Fig. 2: Schematic of a floating dome biogas plant

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Details about the survey carried out

The initial motivation behind the survey that was carried out was to understand the behaviour of rural household biogas plants, and evaluate the government/panchayat schemes that subsidized the construction of these plants. It was also to understand the current status of the biogas plants for estimating an average behaviour, and explore the possibility of community biogas plants in the villages of Thane district. For this survey, first some villages of Wada taluka were surveyed. Following are the villages which we visited for the same: 1. Gandhre 2. Khanivali 3. Dakivali 4. Ambiste-Khurd 5. Ambiste-Budruk 6. Kharivali 7. Bilavali 8. Vavegarh Figures 3 and 4 show a map of the area, locating the taluka and marking the villages in it.

Fig. 3: Location of Wada taluka in Thane District

Page |5

Fig. 4: Location of the villages visited in Wada taluka

A questionnaire was initially prepared and presented to the subject families, which had biogas plants at their homes. In the survey, a variety of plants were discovered, of both types, fixed dome and floating dome, some even converted from fixed dome to floating dome. Also, it was found that many schemes of loan and subsidy for the construction of these plants existed at various points of time. The survey data, however, is not 100% reliable, since no person is expected to remember the exact costs and details of a biogas plant constructed as early as 1985. For the people who do not remember the exact details of their plants, an estimate has been made about the plant's logistics by extrapolating data patterns of plants constructed at around the same time period in the same village. In the following sections, a brief description and analysis of the general trends observed in the responses of the people to the important questions of the survey are presented.

Page |6

Characteristics of the villages surveyed

1. Gandhre This is a village located very close to the main township of Wada. The population density here is very low, and the houses are located far apart from each other. All the existing biogas plants here are of fixed dome type, and a majority of them are dysfunctional. 2. Khanivali This village is located in a plainer terrain than most of the other villages. There have been schemes for biogas plants since around 1990, and people have made the most of them and got constructed biogas plants for themselves, most of which are not dysfunctional. The village is also moderately large, and is a travel transit point of Wada, i.e. there is a tempo stand here. 3. Dakivali This is a moderately large village, population around 250 people, 75 families, located on the lower border of Wada taluka. Many schemes for biogas were and are still in play here, but many plants are dysfunctional. A biogas plant under construction was surveyed in this village, wherein details of material and financial management were procured. 4. Ambiste-Budruk and Ambiste-Khurd These are two very densely populated villages located close together in the interior of Wada taluka. The total population is around 500. These villages had very active schemes towards biogas plant construction till 2000. Inspite of that fact, most plants are dysfunctional. 5. Kharivali This is a small village located near Kudus in the southern part of Wada taluka. A majority of the plants here are dysfunctional. Unlike other villages where the dysfunctional plants were just kept covered, here the tank was properly removed and cemented to provide extra space in house. Many of the households sold off their cattle. In general it was observed that the villagers very careless about maintaining their plants. Efforts like simple pipe replacements and cleaning of tank to circumvent problems were ignored and not undertaken. 6. Bilavali This is another small village, located close to Kharivali. This is the only village in this survey that had a problem of water scarcity. Water scarcity is a major reason for many plants going dysfunctional in this village. Most of the plants here (functional/dysfunctional) are fixed dome type, with only one r two being of the floating dome type. 7. Vavegarh This is a widely spread out village located in the northwestern part of Wada taluka. It has got 6 subvillages or padas, each of which has atleast 5-6 household biogas plants. Many biogas plants were found here, but a majority of them are defunct. Interestingly, the people here are trying to develop alternative technologies for sustainable energy, like solar energy.

Page |7

General Characteristics of the Biogas Plants surveyed

The questionnaire prepared for the survey had the following questions. We shall in discuss in brief the general characteristics of each 1. Functionality of the plant: Most of the biogas plants surveyed were found to be dysfunctional. In spite of a lot of efforts put in the construction of the same, over the years families tend to take less care about its maintenance. Almost negligible efforts were taken to restart the plant. The major constraint for not re-starting the plant was the reliability of the successful functioning of the plant after putting in huge amount of money. 2. Village settlement Characteristics: Each village has its own characteristic thinking and way of living. People from same community live together. Each and every family was involved in farming. In few cases it was found that few members from family also own poultry farm, work in nearby companies for example; Coca-Cola, teach in schools, drive auto-rickshaw or own small shops. People generally lived in nuclear families. However, siblings stay in adjacent houses. In few cases it was found that these siblings often share their cattle in order to run their biogas plant. Families were all APL. They owned Pink Ration Card. Almost all the families were hesitant to reveal their family income. Those who revealed were the ones who were employees at some companies. According to them, they dont keep a tab on the income they earn yearly, its just sufficient for their daily needs. Many families did own items luxury like Television, Washing Machine and Refrigerators. 3. Installation Details of the Plant: Very old plants were generally built during the 1985 period. Other than this there is no obvious surge in the construction of biogas plants. 1980s marked the period when the schemes generally became available to popular the use this clean source of energy - Biogas. A number of plants changed their type from Floating Dome type to Fixed Dome Type. This was done because the success rate of Fixed dome was more than that of the Floating Dome type. 4. Reasons for Dysfunctionality: A variety of reasons cropped up during the survey. A major reason in many cases was poor design and poor construction. Given below are other common reasons for dysfunctionality of the plant. i) Cracking in the Dome due to poor construction of poor material choice.

Page |8

ii) Frequent leakages in the connecting pipes. Repeated replacements made the use of biogas expensive and hence families discontinued its use. iii) Water is required in large amount. Shortage of Water lead to dysfunctionality of many biogas plants in Bilavali which doesnt has a lake or common well for the villagers. iv)Few families who were rich and could afford expensive LPG cylinders preferred to shut down their biogas plant as they didnt wish to put in long hours of labour daily for the continuous running of the biogas plant v) Quite a many families had to sell off their cattle for economic reasons 5. Size and Capacity of Plant: The common size of the plants are mentioned as follows i) Fixed Dome: Generally 8-10 feet deep and 3 feet in radius ii) Floating Dome: The pit is about 10 feet deep and tank is about 3 feet above the ground and about 3 feet in radius. The input to the plant is according to the feed that the family can collect from its cattle and toilets. The output is left open and the slurry produced is used by the families as fertilizers for their farms. 6. Cost of building the Plant: Most of the families built the plant with the Schemes and subsidies available at the Government (Panchayat) level. Among them, a few families loaned money in order to use the scheme. The rest built the plants on their own. There is quite a disparity in the opinion of subsidy provided to these families. Some families claim that the entire amount was reimbursed while others claim that only half the amount was reimbursed. Few families self constructed the biogas plants using the materials provided by the scheme while others took the help of Mason. 7. Effort spent working on the Plant On an average, a family needs to spend 1-2 hours daily on the working of the plant. This involves collecting cow-dung, removing it of non-biodegradable substances and converting the feed into thin slurry by mixing water. Human excreta directly feed into the tank through the pipes. Output slurry needs to be collected and then used as a fertilizer. All the families, except a couple of them, dont use external labour to carry out these daily activities. 8. Performance Analysis: In general the efficiency of the biogas plant was almost constant, except for the few maintenance issues. Mostly the plant produced sufficient gas for cooking or heating purposes. In the worst cases, where families had few cattle or those who couldnt maintain the plants well used biogas for just heating or cooking beverages. Its observed that the efficiency of the biogas plant is most during the summers. High

Page |9

temperature facilitates production of biogas plant. Hence during rainy season or winters the usage of substitute fuel increases. 9. Operation & Maintenance problems and their Solutions The general operation and maintenance problems faced by the families using biogas plant are as follows: i) Cracking of floating type tank replaced with concrete slab fixed dome type plant ii) Leakages were handled by regular replacement of pipes. iii) Painting or using fibre-based tank helped in solving rusting problems. iv) Regular cleaning of the dome/tank to avoid choking of inlet or outlet 10. Cost Comparison between biogas and other fuels: Prior to installation of biogas, families used fuelwood for cooking and heating purposes. Fuelwood is always used as substitute for biogas plants. In the last 20 years, the use of LPG cylinders has become common. In case the biogas plant has gone dysfunctional, families tend to generally use fuelwood and LPG cylinders both. Few families also use kerosene for cooking purposes. The cost per cylinder is around 450. Fuelwood is either bought or procured randomly from their farms. Kerosene is bought from ration and it costs around Rs. 16 per L. The families can avail around 3-5 L of kerosene. Fuelwood if bought varies from 500-700 per cart. This depends on the quantity and quality of the fuelwood. 11. Payback Period It is calculated in the following way: (Cash down cost of biogas plant) - (Reimbursement from scheme) + (Cost of supplementary fuel per month)*x = (Cost of fuels independently without biogas plant)*x Where x is in months. Payback period, with error bounds = x 2 months. All the plants in the village are more or less of the same size, and in some cases, the plants are so old that the families do not remember the costs of installation. In such cases, the costs and payback periods are guessed based on other similar plants built at that time whose information is available. 12. Effect of Biogas Plant on the lives of people Apart from those who have shut down their plants as they dont want to put in extra efforts, people are open to the use of biogas plant for cooking and heating purposes. The use of biogas has eased the cooking process, its cleaner and cheaper. Utensils are not spoilt as they used to be spoilt by chullas. Majority of the people are open to the idea of community biogas plant. However there are a few things that they are concerned about like availability of land, fair distribution, labour involvement, efficiency and feasibility of the functioning of such a huge biogas plant.

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Recommendations
Material Quality The major reason for biogas plant failure was cracking. This issue can be addressed by proper selection of materials. Material should be able to bear high pressure. Cracking may also take place due to unwanted expansion of the tank or the dome. Failure of floating type of tank was observed on a large scale. The tank is exposed to atmosphere and hence can withstand less pressure in comparison to the fixed dome type which is buried underground. However in case of floating tank, it is easier to replace the tank in case of some repair; which in case of fixed dome will result in total dis-assembly of the plant.

Schemes for constructing biogas plant During few interactions with the villagers, it was observed that many families are willing to have a biogas plant of a scheme suiting his economic situation. A broad classification of the villagers on the basis of their annual income should be done. Each type of family can avail the schemes according to their needs. Banks should lend loans at cheaper rates. This in turn would encourage quick repayment.

Maintenance of biogas plant One should prefer fibre based tank rather than iron tanks to avoid rusting. Painting should be done regularly if iron tanks are used. Feed fed to the plant should be free of non-biodegradable substances The feed should be made of very low density by mixing with water. Kitchen wastes can also be used as a feed.

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Survey Data
The following table presents some data collected from the field visits to the 8 villages in Wada Taluka. Many more details were included in the actual questionnaire that was administered to the owners of the plants, the important characterizing points of the plants, and their financial details are summarized here:
Sr. No.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Village Name
Gandhre Gandhre Gandhre Gandhre Gandhre Gandhre Gandhre Gandhre Gandhre Gandhre Gandhre Dakivali Dakivali Dakivali

Type of plant
Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome

Status
Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Working but under renovation Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional

Year of Installation
2011 1997 1995 2000 1992 1990 1990 2011 2005 2011 (Dec) 2010 (Dec) 1992 1997 2002

Year of going Dysfunctional

NA 2002 2001 2006 NA 2000 2002 2012 2006 NA NA 2011 2010 2003

Construction cost in Rupees

13000-18000 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 8000 Couldn't Recall 33000-38000 Couldn't Recall 7000 18000 18000 Couldn't Recall 3500 Couldn't Recall

Subsidy (if any), in Rupees

7,500 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 7500 Couldn't Recall 8000 Fully Reimbursed 5000 7000 7000 Fully Reimbursed 2000 Couldn't Recall

Payback Period
~ 1 year 2 months ~1.5 years ~1.5 years ~1.5 years ~ 5 months ~2 years 2 years 1 month 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) ~5 months ~1 year 2 months ~1 year 2 months 0 (Fully subsidized plant) 6 months ~1 year

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15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Dakivali Dakivali Dakivali Dakivali Dakivali Dakivali Dakivali Dakivali Dakivali Dakivali

Fixed Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome

Dysfunctional Functional Functional Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional

1992 1992 1987 1995 1992 1992 1992 1997 1992 1987

2006 NA NA NA 2012 2011 NA 2009 1997 2008

4500 Couldn't Recall 4500 4500 10000 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 13000 3500 7000

0 Fully Reimbursed 2500 2500 0 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 0 Couldn't Recall 7000

1.5 year 0 (Fully subsidized plant) 8 months - 1 year 8 months - 1 year 2.5 years ~1 year ~1 year 3 years ~1 year 0 (Fully subsidized plant)

25

Dakivali

Fixed Dome

Dysfunctional

1982 2012 Under Construction 1993 1992 1982 1992 2011 2009 2002

2006

15000

15000

0 (Fully subsidized plant)

26

Dakivali

Floating Dome

Under Construction Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional Functional Functional

NA

>10000 expected 4500 6000 7500 3500 20000 7000 3500

Expected 2.5 years

27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Dakivali Dakivali Dakivali Dakivali Khanivali Khanivali Khanivali

Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome

NA 2010 2008 2007 NA NA NA

2000 2500 0 1400 0 2000 3500

8 months - 1 year 1 year 2 years 6-7 months 5.5 years 1.5 years 0 (Fully subsidized plant)

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34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Khanivali Khanivali Khanivali Khanivali Khanivali Khanivali Khanivali

Fixed Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome

Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional

1977 1988 1980 1980 1987 1982 1982

2005 2002 2004 2007 1992 2002 2004

Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 7000 7000 4500 7500 7500

Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 3500 3500 0 3000 3000

~1 year ~1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 3 months 1.5 years 1.5 years

41

Khanivali

Floating Dome

Functional

2011

NA

14500

7500

2 years + another approximately 1.5 years if the construction of new toilet is taken into account.

42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Khanivali Khanivali Khanivali Khanivali Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk

Floating Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome

Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional

1997 2009 1982 1992 1997 1980 1980 1980 1980

1997 (Plant didn't work at all) 2009 (Ran for one month) 2005 1998 2010 1998 1990 2006 NA

Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 15500 8000 4500 4500 13500

Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 0 0 0 0 0

~1 year ~1 year ~1 year ~1 year ~3 years 6 months 2.5 years 1 year 3 months 1 year ~3 years

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51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67

Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk

Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome

Dysfunctional (But attempting to restart it) Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional

1980 1987 1997 1992 2000 1997 1997 1992 2002 1992 2004 1990 1985 2008 1988 2000 1997

2009 NA 2009 2005 2006 2007 2001 2007 2006 2002 2005 2009 NA 2008 (Plant Never Worked) 2000 2010 NA

18000 7500 Couldn't Recall 25000. Very unsure Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 8500 Couldn't Recall 15000 7000 20000 7500 Couldn't Recall 8000 8000 7500

0 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 0 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 0 Couldn't Recall 8000 0 0 0 Couldn't Recall 0 8000 2500

4 years 2 years ~1.5 year 5 years ~1.5 years ~1.5 years ~1.5 years 2 years 3 months ~1.5 years 2 years 2 years 4.5 years 2 years ~1.5 years 2 years 3 months 0 (Fully Reimbursed plant) 1.5 years

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68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84

Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Budruk Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd

Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome type Fixed dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome

Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional Functional

1997 1980 1980 1997 1997 1995 1995 1995 2002 1980 1990 1985 1990 1985 2000 2000 1995

NA 2012 2004 2007 2009 2000 2000 2000 NA NA 1990 (Plant Never Worked) 2010 NA 2012 NA 2005 NA

7500 10000 10000 7000 10000 8000 8500 8500 10000 Couldn't Recall 8500 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 7000 11000 10000 10000

2500 0 0 Couldn't Recall 0 0 0 0 0 Couldn't Recall 2000 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 0 0 5000 5000

1.5 years 3 years 2 years 6 months 2 years 2.5 years 2 years 2.5 years 2.5 years 2.5 years ~1.5 years 1 year 9 months ~ 2 years ~2 years 2.5 years 3 years 1.5 years 1.5 years

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85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101

Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd

Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Floating dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome Floating dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome. Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome

Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional Functional Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional Functional Functional Functional Functional Functional Functional

1980 2012 (Jan) 1981 2011 (Dec) 1997 1983 2006 1985 1985 2007 2000 1997 1985 1985 2010 2012 1995

2008 NA 2006 NA 2002 2002 NA NA 2006 NA 2007 NA NA NA NA NA NA

Couldn't Recall 20000 Couldn't Recall 25000 10000 Couldn't Recall 20000 10000 Couldn't Recall 15000 15000 Couldn't Recall 8000 8000 10000 30000 15000

Couldn't Recall 7000 Couldn't Recall 7000 5000 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 0 7500 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Fully reimbursed 7000 5000

~ 1.5 year 3.5 years ~ 1.5 years 5 years 1.5 years ~ 2 years ~3.5 years ~ 2 years ~ 2 years 4 years 2 years ~ 1.5 years 2 years 2 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) 6 years 2.5 years

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102 103 104

Ambiste-Khurd Ambiste-Khurd Kharivali

Floating Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome

Functional Functional Dysfunctional

1985 2004 1995

NA NA 1998

Couldn't Recall 12000 Couldn't Recall

Couldn't Recall 0 Fully reimbursed

~ 1.5 years 3.5 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120

Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali Kharivali

Fixed Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Floating dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome

Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional

1995 1992 1987 1992 1985 (Guess) 1997 1987 2000 1985 (Guess) 1982 2004 1995 2000 1987 1980 1990

1998 2007 2010 2006 1995 (Guess) 2000 1995 2003 1995(Guess) NA NA 2007 2007 2009 2008 2004

Couldn't Recall 15000 8000 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 12000 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 8000 Dont Know 8000 6000 Couldn't Recall

Fully reimbursed 7000 0 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 6000 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Fully reimbursed 4000 Couldn't Recall 0 0 Couldn't Recall

0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) 2.5 years 2.5 years ~ 1.5 years ~ 1.5 years ~ 2 years ~ 2 years 1.5 years ~ 1.5 years ~ 2 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) 1 year ~1.5 years 2.5 years 1.5 years ~1.5 years

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121

Kharivali

Fixed Dome

Dysfunctional

2000

2006

Couldn't Recall

Fully reimbursed

0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

122 123 124

Bilavali Bilavali Bilavali

Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome

Functional Dysfunctional Functional. (Temporarily dysfunctional) Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional

1998 1985 1997

NA 2002 NA

Couldn't Recall 9500 5000

Fully reimbursed 0 5000

0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) 2.5 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133

Bilavali Bilavali Bilavali Bilavali Bilavali Bilavali Bilavali Bilavali Bilavali

Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome

1997 1992 1987 1987 1987 1987 1985 1985 1986

2012 1997 2010 2004 2008 2006 2010 2002 2002

4000 Couldn't Recall 9000 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 20000 7000 12000 7500 Couldn't recall exactly. They say that they spent around 1500 12000 Couldn't Recall

4000 Couldn't Recall 0 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 0 3500 6000 7500

0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) ~ 2 years 2.5 years ~ 2 years ~ 2 years 5.5 years 1 year 1.5 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

134

Bilavali

Floating type dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome

Dysfunctional

1980

1995

Couldn't Recall

~ 2 years

135 136

Bilavali Bilavali

Functional Dysfunctional

1985 1985

NA 2007

Couldn't Recall Fully Reimbursed

2.5 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

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137 138

Bilavali Bilavali

Fixed Dome Fixed Dome

Dysfunctional Dysfunctional

1992 1996 It was already there when the family bought the house. They just restarted it

2000 2008

Couldn't Recall 20000

Couldn't Recall 0

~ 2 years 5.5 years

139

Bilavali

Fixed Dome

Functional

NA

NA

NA

NA

140

Bilavali

Fixed Dome

Functional

1992

NA

Couldn't Recall

Couldn't Recall exactly, but say that it was 50% reimbursed. 3500 6000 Couldn't Recall 3500 3500 0 0 5000 0 3000

~ 1.5 years

141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150

Bilavali Bilavali Bilavali Bilavali Bilavali Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh

Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome

Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional

1985 1987 1987 1990 1997 1992 1979 1987 1988 1997

NA 2011 2004 2012 2007 NA 1983 2002 NA 2002

7000 6000 Couldn't Recall 7000 7000 6500 Couldn't Recall 5000 10000 3000

1 year 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) ~ 2 years 1 year 1 year 2 years ~ 2 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) 2.5 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

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151 152 153

Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh

Floating dome Floating dome Floating dome

Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional

1987 1992 1980

NA 2005 1997

2500 Couldn't Recall 15000

2500 Couldn't Recall 15000

0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) ~1.5 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

154

Vavegarh

Fixed Dome

Functional

2010

NA

3500

3500

0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

155 156 157

Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh

Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome

Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional

2002 2010 1985

2008 2011 2010

5000 10000 6000

5000 0 6000

0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) 2.5 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

158 159 160 161

Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh

Fixed Dome Floating dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome

Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional

1992 1990 1985 1987

2002 1995 NA 2003

7000 9000 5000 6000

7000 0 0 6000

0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) 2.5 years 1.5 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

162 163 164 165 166

Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh

Floating Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome

Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional

1987 1987 2007 1985 1992

1997 2008 NA 2002 2002

7000 15000 7000 6000 6000

7000 0 0 2500 6000

0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) 4 years 2 years 1 year 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

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167 168 169

Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh

Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome

Functional Functional Dysfunctional

2005 2007 1991

NA NA 2006

Couldn't Recall 8000 3500

Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 3500

~ 2 years ~ 2 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

170

Vavegarh

Fixed Dome

Functional

2012

NA

3500

3500

0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178

Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh Vavegarh

Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Floating Dome Floating Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome Fixed Dome

Functional Functional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional

1985 1985 1985 1985 1988 1995 2010 1992

NA NA 1990 1990 1995 2005 NA 2009

4000 Couldn't Recall 2000 7000 7000 Couldn't Recall 22000 3500

4000 Couldn't Recall 2000 Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall 6000 3500

0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) ~ 2 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant) 2 years 2 years ~ 1.5 years 4.5 years 0 (Fully Reimbursed Plant)

Summary of the above data:

No. of plants surveyed in Wada Taluka = 178 Out of which, No. of functional plants = 57 (32%) No. of dysfunctional plants = 121 (68%) No. of fixed dome plants = 116 (65.1%) No. of floating dome plants = 62 (34.9%)

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Photo Gallery
1. Example of a functional fixed dome plant

2. Example of a functional floating dome plant

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3. Example of a dysfunctional fixed dome plant

4. Example of a dysfunctional floating dome plant, with the tank removed from its holder

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Visit to Dahanu: A comparison between Wada and Dahanu

As a last phase of this project, a visit was made to Dahanu taluka in Thane district, to survey some plants there and bring forward the differences (if any) between the characteristics of the biogas plants of Dahanu and Wada. Dahanu is located 65 km north of Virar on the Western Railway line of Mumbai Suburban Railway. It can be reached from National Highway NH-8, 20 km off from Charoti Naka. It is 22 km North of Boisar on the Western Railway line.

Fig. 5: Location of Dahanu taluka in Thane district The major difference in the lifestyle of the people here from that in Wada taluka, is that many people here belong to the fisherman community. Additionally, this is a more hilly area than Wada, where the terrain is much plainer. The villages here are bigger, more densely populated, and more developed technologically, than Wada taluka.

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In Dahanu taluka, a village called "Ganjaad" was visited to survey any biogas plants and explore the possibility of community biogas plants therein. Only two biogas plants were found, both of them dysfunctional. The following table summarizes the details of these dysfunctional plants: Sr. No.
1 2

Type of plant
Floating Dome Fixed Dome

Year of Installation
1987 2011

Year of going Dysfunctional

2006 2011 (Plant Never Worked)

Construction cost in Rupees

Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall

Subsidy (if any), in Rupees

Couldn't Recall Couldn't Recall

Payback Period
NA NA

Both the owners couldn't recall any details of the construction of their plants, so the payback period is indeterminate, since there were no other plants whose details could be extrapolated and the paybacks for these two plants could be estimated. In Dahanu, there were and are many schemes in many villages for the construction of biogas plants, but the people feel that this technology is outdated, and do not avail these schemes. Hence there are very few biogas plants in the villages of Dahanu, in Ganjaad, only two were found. However, there were many public toilets with huge septic tanks behind them at many places in the villages. The villagers were very interested in getting community biogas plants constructed on these tanks, if they got some schemes from the Government. On inquiry, it was found that such in the case in many more villages in Dahanu taluka. Hence, there is a huge possibility of community biogas plants in Dahanu, which is not the case in Wada. Going by the surveys in Wada and Dahanu, which are two talukas in Thane districe, a conclusion can be made that the data collected in these talukas can be extrapolated, and the behavior of biogas plants in other talukas in Thane can be estimated with error tolerances.

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Acknowledgements
Firstly, we thank our guide, Prof. A. B. Rao for his valuable guidance throughout this study. We also thank Mr. Katole and Mr. Patil, from the Wada taluka main panchayat office, for pointing us in the right directions and hence helping us kick start our surveys. A sincere thanks to Mr. Kaluram, contractor for biogas plants, who accompanied us in some of our visits and gave us first hand information. We would like to thank our batch-mate Vaibhav Nasery, a collaborator in this project, for providing us with all the logistical details we needed for the surveys. We would also like to thank our colleagues Prashant Jain, Raj Patel and Nikhil Jain (all students of IIT Bombay) for their constant encouragement and companionship throughout this project. A special word of thanks to all the villagers who cooperated and helped us around during the surveys. Lastly, we thank Prof. Sohoni and the entire CTARA team for providing this great opportunity to study and interact with various stakeholders involved in the project.

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