A biodigester project in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, has failed to produce electricity because human waste produced by residents lacks ingredients to produce methane, according to reports.
An official from the water ministry is quoted as blaming the residents’ diet for the outcome.
“It seems that what we are eating is lacking something, the diet of the people is not producing methane,” said Dr Florence Grace Adongo.
The Bugolobi Wastewater Treatment Plant is reported to be the largest wastewater treatment plant in East Africa capable of processing 45 million litres of wastewater daily and generate over 631kw of biogas electricity. This is expected to serve 850,000 people.
The project was funded by the Ugandan government with support from the African Development Bank, the European Union and KfW – the German development agency.
The plant will is supposed divert and treat the dry flow from the heavily polluted Nakivubo channel before releasing water into Lake Victoria and subsequently improve the quality of water in Lake Victoria.