LCC to embark on biogas project

LCC to embark on biogas project
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Mon 14 Dec. 2009, 04:00 CAT

LUSAKA City Council (LCC) in partnership with technology, economy and environment (TEM) foundation of Lund University in Sweden has embarked on an US$293,400 biogas project, which will be implemented in Kanyama compound over a two-year period.

LCC assistant public relations manager Mulunda Habeenzu said preliminary ground work had been done such as identification of land where the project which would run from July, 2009 to August, 2011 would be set up and an inception report had since been completed in readiness for funding.

Mulunda said the biogas would be produced through bio-digestion of the organic waste fractions to produce a gas, which would be used for energy production that is for cooking, electricity generation or lighting among others.

He said the over all objective of the project was to establish a sustainable and poverty oriented waste minimisation and energy recovery system thereby improving the living conditions of the population as a whole especially the poor.

Mulunda said the specific objective of the project was to build a demonstration biogas plant and to run it, to establish a competence centre and train personnel in setting up and running a biogas plant, to sensitise the community and to come up with a replicable model and information dissemination through the competence or knowledge centre for biogas production.

"The executive agency for the implementation of the project is the LCC through Waste Management Unit (WMU), with technical support coming from technology, economy and environment foundation and it will be funded by Tilvaxtverket of Sweden and UNICEF Zambia office," said Mulunda.