Activity Update April 2013: Satpura Tiger Reserve

Highlights

·      5 water conservation voluntary work projects during the month – 2 to build soak pits and 3 bori bandhaans to build check/stop dams

·      Putting up of pots for drinking water for birds

·      6 forest fire awareness programmes in Pachmarhi cluster

·      5 unemployed youths placed in jobs at Bhopal/Hoshangabad at starting salary of Rs 3300/- per month

·      One training program for security guards for five youths

Conservation

During April, we organized 5 voluntary work projects related to water conservation.

On April 13, we organized a programme to build a check dam on a stream around 2 kms from Raikheda village. 6 villagers from Raikheda joined hands with Ashfaq to build the dam. The resultant water body will benefit domestic livestock in the day time and wildlife at night. Spotted deer and monkeys are regularly spotted in the area.

Raikheda - the site before the check dam was built

Raikheda - check dam completed

On April 24, we organized a bori bandhaan programme to build a check dam on a stream around 2.5 kms from Raikheda village. 8 children from Government Primary School (GPS) Raikheda joined hands with Umashankar to build the dam. The resultant water body will benefit domestic livestock in the day time and wildlife at nights. Spotted deer and monkeys are regularly spotted in the area.

On April 24, we organized a programme to build a check dam on a stream around 2 kms from Khamda village. 11 children from the village joined hands with Vikram to build the dam. The resultant water body will benefit domestic livestock in the day time and wildlife at night. Spotted deer, monkeys and nilgai are regularly spotted in the area.

On April 25, field assistant Vikram Parte organized a program to dig a soak pit at GPS, Mallupura. 6 students from the school joined hands with Vikram in digging the pit, which will take spillover water from a hand pump on the school premises. The pit will help to recharge the water table around the hand pump.

On April 25, field assistant Umashankar Yadav organized a program to dig a soak pit at GPS, Parraspani. 9 students from the school joined hands with Umashankar in digging the pit, which will take spillover water from a hand pump on the school premises. The pit will help to recharge the water table around the hand pump.

With the summer season at its peak, our team worked to put up small pots with drinking water for birds at suitable places adjoining all the 17 villages in our area of operations - 10 villages in Matkuli cluster and 7 in the Podar cluster.

Nayakheda -villager provides water and artificial nests for birds

Dhargaon - villager puts up pot with drinking water for birds

Employment Cell

5 youths from both clusters got jobs in April thanks to our assistance.

Details of the placements are as follows:

Brijkishor Kalam of Birjikhapa 

and Maniram Thakur of Sonpur who got jobs 

with our help in April

Training programme

Centre for Entrepreneurship Development of Madhya Pradesh (CEDMAP) regularly organizes livelihood and skill-enhancement training programmes at Bhopal. They invited Satpuda Foundation to send candidates from our area of operations to a programme to train youths as security guards. We identified 5 youths from the two clusters where we work and sent them to Bhopal for the programme, which ran from April 16 to 20. Satpuda Foundation bore part of the expenses for the training programme.

Environment education/Education Van

There were no programmes as schools were shut for the annual summer holiday.