Activity Update February 2014: Kanha

Team: Amit Awasthi – Conservation Officer

            Sampathlal Dhurve – Field assistant

           

Highlights      

                                                                                                                                            

·      1 voluntary work project for water conservation – check dam built at Talab Jhodi nallah, Bhagpur        

·      One voluntary work project for community assistance – area next to hand pump cleaned at Chapri

·      One bio-gas plant repaired in Kutwahi

·      2 awareness programmes on vermi-compost and bio-gas in 2 villages 

·      3 anti-plastic programmes in school

·      2 nature trails for village children to promote awareness about nature and conservation

·      Environment education programme conducted in 11 schools - attended by 265 students

·      8 film shows on nature and wildlife conservation in 8 villages 

·      1 capacity-building workshop for women’s SHGs

·      1 unemployed youth placed in resort

           

 Conservation work

As part of our water conservation work, we organized a programme to build a check dam on February 16 near Bhagpur. Amit Awasthi and Sampath led a team consisting of 13 members of Aarti and Sithala women’s self-help groups (SHG) and 5 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 sambhar are regularly spotted in the area. Photos below.

Site of the dam before construction, at Talab Jhodi Nallah, Bhagpur

Working on the dam

The new water body

In community assistance work, our team organized a programme to clean the area next to a hand pump in 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 February 26, 4 students and 4 youths from Chapri joined Amit and Sampath in cleaning up the area.

Stagnant water around the soak pit and hand pump before the clean-up

Volunteers clearing the area

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 February 9 at Dhamangaon and the second on February 15 at Kutwahi.

Dhamangaon - Amit and Khemkaran Jangela from Ajiwika, talking to
villagers about the benefits of bio-gas and vermi-compost

Kutwahi - Sampath speaking to villagers about vermi-compost
and bio-gas

In order to reduce the dependence of villagers on forests for firewood, we encourage them to use alternative sources of energy. As part of this programme, we assist villagers in repairing bio-gas units (set up by the Forest Department and Ajiwika) which have fallen into disrepair. On February 15, we helped one villager, Suddu Singh of Kutwahi restart his unit.

One of the bio-gas units we helped get repaired, at Kutwahi

On February 13 our team organized an anti-plastic programme at Kutwahi. 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 Manegaon on February 15 and on February 17 at Batwar.

Education  

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

Sampath speaks to children in Chapri about wildlife and nature

Amit and Sampath led children of Chapri and Manegaon on nature trails on February 19 and February 27 respectively. On the trails, they helped children identify various species of plants and animals and explained the importance of preserving our environment.

Chapri - Sampath with Chapri children on a nature trail

Education van programme

There were 8 film shows on nature and wildlife conservation in February.

Kutwahi - villagers watch a wildlife film

Employment Cell

We helped one youth get a job during the month of February.

Shyam Singh Yadav of Khisi, at Maheshwar Resort his new place of work

Amit inspects a vegetable patch developed by Ramprakash Pusam
with our help - at Batwar

SHG capacity building programme

As part of our assistance to villagers in alternative livelihoods, we help women set up SHGs to start their own business units. We organized a workshop from February 22-24 for a total of 36 SHGs and taught them how to how to maintain documents and conduct proceedings.  12 of the SHGs were from villages in our area of operations while the others were from other villages in the buffer zone. 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. Photos below: Amit and Ajiwika's Jatarsingh Balawi, conducting a workshop for SHGs.

During the month, Amit also arranged a visit for women SHGs to visit the Khatiya police station to learn about legal protection offered to women and various actions that they could take when facing harassment. Photo below.

Other news: 

Forest Department staff take a chital for treatment after it was injured
by village dogs in Chapri