Activity Update April 2015: Kanha

Team: Amit Awasthi – Conservation Officer

            Sampathlal Dhurve – Field assistant

           

Highlights                                                                                                                                                  

·      Two voluntary work projects for community assistance – area next to hand pump cleaned at Batwar and area next to hand pump at Bhagpur

·      3 awareness programmes on forest fires, vermi-compost, seeds treatment  

·      1 new waterhole dug and 2 existing waterholes cleaned

·      2 vermi-compost tanks prepared at Batwar and Sautiya

·      2 anti-plastic programmes

·      2 nature trail programmes

·      Environment education programme conducted in 7 schools – attended by 186 students

·      7 film shows on nature and wildlife conservation in 8 villages  - attended by 292 people

·      2 unemployed youths get jobs through our Employment Cell

           

 Conservation 

In community assistance work, our team organized two programmes during the month to clean areas around hand pumps.  The first one was organized on April 9 at Batwar where there was substantial water stagnation due to 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. In our programme, 3 students, 3 women and 5 villagers from Batwar joined Amit and Sampath in digging a canal which will drain the marsh and take the spillover water to a soak pit. Photos below.

A similar programme was organized on April 16 at Bhagpur. Photos below.

During the month, Amit also organized 3 awareness programmes on forest fires, vermi-compost and seeds treatment. Details are given in the above table. Photo below.

During the month, our team organized a programme to dig/create a new waterhole. We also organized programmes to clean 2 existing waterholes inside the jungle, which had become clogged with organic litter.

All of these were located inside the jungle in the buffer zone.

Photos below: waterhole dug at Chhapri

Our team encourages organic farming as part of our strategy to reduce the impact of chemical fertilisers on fields adjoining prime wildlife areas. Part of our work includes assistance to villagers in setting up compost and vermi-compost tanks. During April, we helped Bhagal Singh of Batwar and Bharat Valko of Sautiya to set up a vermi-compost tank each.  

Sautiya: Vermi-compost tank at Bharat Valko's house

On April 12, our team organized an anti-plastic programme at Kutwahi. Amit and Sampath spoke to the villagers of the village about the harmful impact of plastic/polythene on the environment and motivated them to remove such litter from the village. The team of villagers and students went around the village, collecting plastic and polythene litter/waste, which were then buried in a pit on the outskirts of the village. Another anti-plastic programme was organized at Patpara on April 17. Photos of the Patpara clean-up drive below.

Education  

During the month, our team organized environment education programmes in 7 schools in the villages in our area of operations.

Amit and Sampath led children of Chapri and Dhamangaon on nature trails on April 5 and April 18 respectively. On the trails, they helped children identify various species of plants, birds and animals and explained the importance of preserving our environment.

Sampathlal conducting a nature education programme at Kutwahi

 

Education van programme

There were 7 film shows on nature and wildlife conservation in April.

Employment Cell

We helped 2 youths get jobs during the month of April.

Pramod Aarmo, who got a job at Krishna Jungle Homes