The City-dweller and the Tiger: Activity Update January 2014: Kanha

Team: Amit Awasthi – Conservation Officer

Sampathlal Dhurve – Field assistant

Highlights

1 voluntary work project on water conservation – check dam built at Pairi Jhodi nallah, Samaiya
Two voluntary work projects for community assistance – Area next to hand pump cleaned at Chapri and Manegaon
2 awareness programmes on vermi-compost and bio-gas in 2 villages
2 conservation rallies with women’s SHGs and school students in 2 villages
3 anti-plastic programmes in school
2 nature trail programmes
Environment education programme conducted in 11 schools - attended by 309 students
1 capacity-building workshop for women’s SHGs
2 unemployed youths placed in resorts

Conservation

As part of our water conservation work, we organized a programme to build a check dam on January 25 near Samaiya. Amit Awasthi and Sampath led a team consisting of 5 members of Aarti women’s self-help group (SHG) and 11 youths from the village. The dam was built on a stream around 1.5 km in the jungle from the village. The resultant water body benefits both domestic and wild animals. Livestock from the village use the water body in the day while wild animals use it at night. Nilgai, gaur, spotted deer and sambar are regularly spotted in the area.

Samaiya - building the check dam at Pairi Jodi nallah

The water level rises behind the dam wall

In community assistance work, our team organized two programmes to clean the area next to hand pumps in Chapri and Manegaon. At Chapri, there was substantial water stagnation from water spilt when villagers filled up buckets and vessels from the hand pump. This had created a small marsh and water was spreading to the village road. Insects were also breeding in the water, creating a health hazard. On January 21, 4 women and 5 youths from Chapri joined Amit and Sampath in filling up the marsh with mud and gravel. Once this sets, a canal will be dug to drain future spill over water to a soak pit. Pictures below.

A similar programme was organized on January 29 at Manegaon in which 15 students from the village’s primary school joined Amit and Sampath. Photos below:

Cleaning up the area

Canal being dug to drain excess water away from the hand-pump area

The cleaning project at Manegaon

The hand pump area after the programme

During the month, Amit also organized 2 awareness programmes to talk to villagers about the benefits of organic farming and bio-gas. While the Forest Department had installed several bio-gas units in villages a few years ago, many have fallen into disrepair. Amit explained the benefits of restarting the units, many of which need only minor repairs. Use of bio-gas will reduce pressure from villagers on forests for firewood. The first programme was held on January 18 at Bhagpur and the second on January 24 at Samaiya.

Bhagpur awareness programme on vermi-compost and biogas

On January 7, our team organized an anti-plastic programme at Patpara. Amit and Sampath spoke to the students of the village school about the harmful impact of plastic/polythene on the environment and motivated them to remove such litter from the village. The students went around the village, collecting plastic and polythene litter/waste, which were then buried in a pit on the outskirts of the village. Two similar programmes were organized during the month – at Dhamangaon on January 29 and on January 31 at Chapri.

Patpara plastic trash clean-up

During January, our team organized 2 conservation rallies in which members of women’s self-help groups (SHGs) and school students participated. At Batwar, on January 10, women belonging to Gondwana, Maa, Tiranga, Narmada and Jagdamba SHGs, along with students of the village’s primary school went through the village, chanting slogans in favour of conservation of nature and wildlife. A similar programme was organized on January 16 at Dhamangaon in which members of Durga, Sithala, Sharda, Baiga and Narmada SHGs participated along with students from the village’s primary and middle schools.

Start of rally in Dhamangaon

Dhamangaon rally

Rally in Batwar

Education

During the month our team organized environment education programmes in 11 schools in the villages in our area of operations.

Classroom lecture at Manegaon

Amit and Sampath led children of Kutwahi and Patpara on nature trails on January 22 and January 30 respectively. On the trails, they helped children identify various species of plants and animals and explained the importance of preserving our environment.

Employment Cell

We helped two youths get jobs during the month of January.

Sunil Uikey of Chapri, who got a job at Kingfisher Resort, Mocha

SHG capacity building programme

As part of our assistance to villagers in alternative livelihood, we help women set up SHGs to start their own business units. During January, we organized a workshop for a total of 5 SHGs and taught them how to how to maintain documents and conduct proceedings. The SHG members were also introduced to possible activities that they could take up. The workshop was organized jointly with Ajiwika Mission – a project by the Madhya Pradesh state government to help empower women.