Activity Update May 2015: Kanha

Team: Amit Awasthi – Conservation Officer

            Sampathlal Dhurve – Field assistant

           

Highlights                                                                                                                                                  

·      One voluntary work project for community assistance – area next to well cleaned at Samaiya

·      3 awareness programmes on forest fires and vermi-compost

·       3 existing waterholes cleaned

·      One vermi-compost tank prepared at Sautiya

·      1 bio-gas plant repaired at Chapri 

·      2 anti-plastic programmes

·      2 nature trail programmes

·      Informed Forest Department about fires on 4 occasions

·      Installed water pots for birds in 4 villages

·      3 unemployed youths get jobs through our Employment Cell

           

 Conservation 

In community assistance work, our team organized one programme on May 10 to clean a well at Samaiya. Organic litter had accumulated in the well, blown in by the wind.  6 women and 5 villagers joined Sampath and Amit in the programme in which they removed the litter and de-silted the well. Photos below.

During the month, Amit also organized 3 awareness programmes on forest fires and vermi-compost. Details are given in the above table. In these programmes, villagers were motivated to fight fires in the forest.

Manegaon: awareness programme on vermi-compost and forest fires

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

Sautiya: tank at Bharat Valko's house

During the month, our team organized programmes to clean 3 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.

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 May 25, we helped one villager, Human Lal Uikey of Chapri, restart his unit. Photo below.

On May14, our team organized an anti-plastic programme at Samaiya. Amit and Sampath spoke to the villagers 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. A similar anti-plastic programme was organized at Batwar on May17. Photo below.

With the heat rising in the summer, our team has been motivating villagers to put up pots with water so that birds and small animals can quench their thirst. Around 30 pots were put up in 3 villages in May. 

Photo below: Pots being filled in Manegaon

Education  

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

Amit and Sampath led children of Patpara and Batwar on nature trails on May 17 and May 19 respectively. On the trails, they helped children identify various species of plants and animals and explained the importance of preserving our environment.

Batwar: Sampath speaks to children during nature trail

Education van programme

There were no film shows in May as schools were shut for the annual summer holidays.

Employment Cell

We helped 3 youths get jobs during the month of May.

Anup Vyam got a job as a tractor driver, Chhapri