Activity Update August 2013: Pench Madhya Pradesh

Team: Saket Agasti – Assistant Conservation Officer

            Niranjan Hinge, Bandu Uikey – Field Assistants

 

Highlights

·      Awareness programme on snakes on occasion of  “Nag Panchami”

·       Three nature trails

·      2 medical camps -- treated 74 patients

·      Nine film shows on nature and wildlife conservation – viewed by 531 school children

·      Nine environmental education programmes – addressed 228 students

Conservation

August 11 was “Nag Panchami," a festival in which Hindus worship snakes. In rural areas, villagers take great care to ensure that snakes are not hurt on this day. They do not even work in their fields for fear that they may step on snakes unintentionally or that their oxen or ploughs may hurt snakes in the fields.

Our team decided to use the occasion to promote greater awareness about snakes and their role in nature and organized a drawing and painting contest for students of Turia village at our office, with snakes as the theme. Photos below.

On August 4, 10, 21, Niranjan Hinge took students from Turia, Satosha and Jamuntola respectively on nature trails on which he spotted and identified common birds and explained their features to the children. Butterflies were also identified on the trails as they are abundant in this season. 

Turia: Identifying birds and butterflies on a nature trail

Telia - students learn about butterflies from Saket Agasti

Environmental Education Programme

In August, our team conducted environment education programmes in 9 schools in our area of operations.

Khamrith - Niranjan Hinge speaks to children about nature
and conservation

Turia - students learn about conservation through a nature game

IT Education Programme

Our programme to bring computer education to village children is running in Teliya and Turia.

Education Van Programme

There were 9 programmes conducted with the help of the Education Van in August.

Talk before the film show at Kohoka

Mobile Health Unit (MHU)

We assisted Nature Conservation Society, Amravati in holding 2 medical camps in August.

Above, below: Free medical camp in progress at Durgapur