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13.03.2015 Asia

Interact: An Exclusive Interview with a Biogas Plant Specialist Haidar Ali Talukdar

By Hatashe
Interact: An Exclusive Interview with a Biogas Plant Specialist Haidar Ali Talukdar
13.03.2015 LISTEN

Mr. Haidar Ali Talukdar, a biogas plant specialist long times worked for Bangladesh agriculture extension department under agriculture ministry. He worked in many districts in Bangladesh, especially in Chittagong hilly districts. Before his agriculture career, once he assigned as Chairman of “Tribal and non-tribal rehabilitation project in Khagrachari district.” During his chairmanship of this project, he founded Palashpur village in Matiranga Upazila in Khagrachari district. He established school, madrasha, mosque and roads in there. He also built a road Palashpur to Hatiyapara which he named as Mitali road but now people called it Haidar road. After finish this project he joined in Horticulture department and then forwarded to agriculture extension service department. He obtains much professional higher trainings on agriculture and biogas system and plant. That why he was able to involve to work with biogas plants and research activities. Now he retired from government service and concentrated into Law practice for he is also a lawyer. He is also a writer, playwright and humanrights worker.

Solar Panel is much popular in Bangladesh, even in the marginalized & underprivileged and outreach areas where don't have least communication and electricity facilities. But in this aspect, biogas plants is not such popular and don't have a large amount use in Bangladesh.

Modern Ghana Media Group which host Modern Ghana, Nigeria Films and Nigerian Voice has taken an interactive interview of the Biogas Plant Specialist Mr. Haidar Ali Talukdar in order to know more about the biogas and its sustainability in Bangladesh, Africa Continental and as well all over the world.

Mr. Talukdar said that Bangladesh government has lots of interest and investment on this sector, and in the near expectations biogas should be occupied the future energy fundamental belongs to our daily life style in urban and the rural neighborhood.

Modern Ghana: How are you sir?

Haidar Ali Talukdar: Yeah! I am enough blessed.

Modern Ghana: Nice to meet you. We have been came to know about you that you are a biogas specialist and have lots of personal research and professional activities on this incredible sector. So, we become very interested to hear about it from you.

Haidar: I do not say I am specialist. I recognized myself as a good technician but I have log time working experience on biogas plants.

Modern Ghana: Technician's very near grade is engineer. However, our first question is that when you started work with biogas plant technology?

Haidar: In the year of 1989, when I started professional service with Bangladesh Agriculture department, I had been working for biogas plant installation and research along with my regular official duty. In the primary life, I was a businessman in Dhaka closely cooperated by my wife Kamrun Nahar Shefali. Later in the late eighty I was assigned as Chairman for “Tribal and non-tribal rehabilitation project in Khagrachari district.” After finish this project I joined to Agriculture Department as a field officer designated as “Block Supervisor”. We all the field officers closely worked with farmers to advise them on production, product distribution & marketing policy, worked to distribute fertilizer, seeds, and tree plants as part of government endowment. And overall we supervised our assign fields or blocks that was a specific territory for each “Block Supervisor”. We worked with farmers on their crops, livestock and farming sector.

Modern Ghana: When you become specialist on Biogas plants?

Haidar: I do not proclaim myself as specialist. But I received much higher training on agriculture technology and also biogas technology provided by our department. The then my professional experience and personal research on biogas system, I have knew deeply more about biogas plant technology.

Modern Ghana: But your higher education was not at all on agriculture and biogas plant technology.

Haidar: You are right. According to my academic background, I was student of law studies. I studied bachelor and master's degree on law. Now after the retirement from agriculture service, I engaged to myself to the law practices in Gopalganj district court. But whatever trainings I obtained from the various institutions that were never lesser than university education curriculum and system.

Modern Ghana: How many biogas plants were built through your initiative and efforts or the project you involved in?

Haidar: Exactly I cannot remember but approximately the total size was not less then thousand. When I was in Matiranga Upazila, once I installed about 50 number of biogas plants in a single project. It was large size during my service life I installed alone. Every plant expensed fifteen thousand taka and government donated 50% for each plant. So, government expense lot of investment on this initiative. Although-- now a days, biogas plant installation cost is increased than before.

Modern Ghana: What do you think that how Bangladesh government patronized for the biogas plants and what is your future prediction on this sector?

Haidar: Already I said that Bangladesh government has lot of interest and investment on this sector. Now a day, solar panel is much popular in village and outreach areas and even in sometimes in urban areas but biogas plants is not in this scale. Hence, I hope it may desirable to the civilizations has to come.

Modern Ghana: How you define its probability and effectiveness in the Africa territory and as well into the entire planet?

Haidar: Many a country in the world fully utilizes the biogas plant system. Besides, developing countries like Bangladesh, Ghana, Nigeria, and others' countries in Africa and Asia continental also have been using biogas. It is appearing as very useful and desirable to the people, especially to the livestock farmers. Easily biogas can produce from human waste, animal waste and from the dust wreck. So that it is not depending on the expensed energy sources. The then the outputted waste from biogas raw materials also use as one of best fertilizers.

Modern Ghana: After your retirement you have been working as lawyer and teacher but do you still interested on biogas plants project(s)?

Haidar: Basically, my law a practice is to keep engage myself to pass ledger times and to involve into social services. Because rural people are very ignore about basic rules and regulations. Also, many violence and occurrence happen in the communities not only for people do not know the laws but also for the lacks of social awareness. So, sometimes I also involve myself into such activities. Sometimes, people also want my advice and legal consult to solve their internal problems like land and family affairs related. These all of my present activities keep me fit and make me a more social person though developing communication and friendship with the people. In addition, my age and environment should be considerable, but when I may get opportunity to work with a biogas plant project, I will always be interested to offer my skill, experience and expertise.

Modern Ghana: Thank you. Keep well.

Haidar: Thank you too.

-by South Asian Representative

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