[Stoves] Biogas has also failed in India

[adkarve]

Dear stovers,
C.V.Krishna narrated why improved stoves programme failed in India.
It is not just the improved cookstoves but also the biogas is a failure in
India. In a country having 140 million rural families, we have today only 2
million working biogas plants. The dung based biogas plant is the costliest
cooking device in the world, costing even more than a micro-wave oven.  Only
rich dairy farmers can afford to have a dung based biogas plant. You get at
least 4 times as much energy from dung if you burned it directly than if you
converted it into methane.  Thus it is also a wasteful process. Our
experiments showed that dung cakes burned quite cleanly in a stove with a
fan. Even the costliest model of such a stove costs only a tenth as much as
a biogas plant. Biogas is good for countries having year round rainfall,
because under such conditions, one cannot dry the dung into cakes. But in
India it can be dried very easily and used as fuel in a stove.
Yours
A.D.Karve
----- Original Message -----
From: Choppalli Venkata Krishna <krishnacreat1 at rediffmail.com>
To: <Stoves at listserv.repp.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2007 7:50 AM
Subject: [Stoves] Test that is ULTIMATE



  Dear Frank
I confess my failure in promoting Improved Stoves as I missed the following
vital points:-
1- The Ministry (Govt. of India) after testing them, had approved 34 models
as Improved Cook stoves by '86 for dissemination in India.( The programme
was launched as back as 1982).  We thought/took it granted that because we
have done so much of brain exercise on Thermodynamics,/Heat Engines and that
our work ( In the Laboratory) has been lauded by the Ministry, our stoves
will be successful; we started dissemination programme.
2- We totally forgot the fact that from the age of 7 a Rural Indian girl
learns Stove building and by the age of 12 she becomes an expert in stoves
building SUITING TO HER FAMILY MEMBERS' COOKING HABITS, NEEDS & THE FUEL
AVAILABLE IN THE VISCINITY..
3- We propagated that the stove which was used by her(the Rural Woman) is
the worst one and that we have come up with an innovation that will save 1-
Fuel;2- Ward off the Smoke; 3- Shall keep the Kitchen environment clean 4-
Heath hazards will no more occur. etc, etc.
4- She (The beneficiary) was gentle enough to nod to our speeches as a token
of acceptance and allowed the ICS to be built in her Kitchen.
5- We went on building stoves in millions. Most of the STOVE BUILDERS were
MALE members.
6- After a year/less than a year, we discovered that either the implemented
stove was UNUSED or DISMANTLED.
7- On questioning of the reason of the statuesque, they (95% of them) would
remain silent till one goes on pestering on the reasons of Non usage. They
lied to us that the stove was good and that on certain occasions only they
preferred to use it; some would lie that they were using the new improved
stove till yesterday and that today (the day of our questioning) only they
have not used it. None of them would say that THE STOVE IS NOT
APPROPRIATE/SUITABLE/CONVENIENT TO THEM.
8- We also in the spree of achieving the target fixed by the Ministry did
not spare any time to discuss with them WHAT ACTUALY THEY WANT; we went on
IMPOSING OUR MODEL on them however inappropriate/appropriate it was to the
user.
9- In 1996 after a decade, more than 85 Improved Models were in India. But
on introspection, the models those were disseminated in '84-85 did not exist
in 87-88; the models of 86-87 were obsolete in 89-90 and so on the chain
continued.
10- Saddest Part is none of us nor did the Ministry take cognizance of the
episode and every year the Annual Report continued publishing the total
(cumulative from -82) number of ICS implemented and the quantum of wood
saved thereby. None of us had the wisdom to put a break to the run on one
leg heading towards a wall. We never even assembled to introspect the
situation.
11- Results- The National Programme on Improved Cook Stoves abruptly was
discontinued.
12- It is some individual organizations that are able to sustain the Mission
of ICS in India; but compared with the Rural households of the Country, is
insignificant in numers.
13- The reason for such success by a few Organizations today is: Utter
Patience in reaching the Goal; Involving the USER WOMEN in building the
stoves of their choice; follow up after implementation; understanding the
users' needs; economy; use of appropriate and locally available material and
stove-builders(women). And any other that makes a stove accepted by the
Users.

We all must keep in my mind that 'There are as many stove-designs as many
Houses'. Theory folowed by testing in par with the field needs and
invovement can definitely bring us success.

WE can learn lessons from above and if we get the facts from the successful
implementers the 'Talisman' they have used for their success, YES our  Test
can be concluded as ULTIMATE.
Regards
-Krishna


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