Activity Update October 2015: Pench Maharashtra

Team: Anoop Awasthi - Assistant Director

            Bandu Uikey, Dilip Lanjewar – Field Assistants

Highlights

·      One voluntary work project to build a check dam at Ghoti

·      One voluntary work project to dig a soak pit at Kolitmara

·      One Swatch Bharat Abhiyaan programme at Khapa

·      Organized four-wheeler driver’s training programme for 59  unemployed youths

·      Six  nature trails held for youths  of villages in buffer zone of PTR

·      Bandu and Dilip joined Forest Department staff on anti-poaching patrols twice each

·      Organized 5 village meetings to discuss village development through Village Eco Development Committee (VEDC)

·      Conducted  12 environment education programmes -- attended by 359 students

·      Organized 6 medical camps at which 146  patients were treated

·      Celebrated Wildlife Week in 12 villages

Conservation 

Wild Life Week Programme

PENCH MAHARASHTRA (Pipariya Cluster)

Wild Life Week Programme

PENCH MAHARASHTRA (Kolitmara Cluster)

On October 11, a check dam was built by Dilip and a team of 15 villagers of Ghoti. The dam was built with the help of sand-filled gunny bags. It is situated on the fringe of Pench Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra. The water body created by the will provide water to domestic as well as wild animals. As the rainfall has been poor this season, our team explained to villagers how such dam structures help to retain water. Deer, wild boars and jackals are spotted regularly in this area. Photo below.

On October 15, Bandu joined hands with school students in Kolitmara to dig a compost pit on the school campus which is useful to convert food leftovers into organic fertilizer He explained to the students how such compost pits help promote organic farming and how the pits prepare organic fertilizers. Photos below.

On October 25, Dilip organized an anti-plastic drive and village cleanliness program at Khapa. Youths and adult villagers cleared the plastic litter from public places of the village. Awareness about village cleanliness was also spread on this occasion among the villagers. Photo below.

Dilip joined VEDC members and Forest Department staff on patrols on October 13 and 25 at Wagholi and Khapa respectively. The team patrolled the borders of the villages for illegal activities. No illegal activity was detected on these patrols. Photo below: patrol at Khapa.

Patrol at Khapa

Patrol at Wagholi

Bandu joined similar patrols on October 18 and 25 in West Pench Range. The team patrolled the borders of the villages for illegal activities. No illegal activity was detected on these patrols. Photo below.

In October, Dilip and Bandu separately took students of Narhar, Kolitmara, Ghatpendari, Ghoti and Pipariya on a total of 6 nature trails during which they spoke to the students about the birds, trees and forests. The impact of degradation of natural resources was explained to the students.

Dilip talking to students from Pipariya and Ghoti about the
importance of birds in nature

Environmental Education Programmes

In October, we visited 12 schools in our area of operations to conduct programmes on environment conservation.

Nature education class at Dhawlapur

Conservation rally at Sawara

Nature education class at Khapa

Employment Cell

We assisted 2 unemployed youths of buffer village to get training in stall feeding of livestock through M-SETI Nagpur.

We organized a programme to train unemployed youths in driving four-wheelers. The youths belong to villages in the buffer zone in the Pipariya and Chargaon clusters. The programmes were launched on October 16 at Sillari and Chargaon. 29 candidates in Pipariya cluster and 30 candidates in Chargaon cluster participated in this programme.

Anoop briefs trainees about the programme - at Chargaon

Forest Guard Satish Vasnik flags off the driver training programme

Training from instructor Mr Ramsa Uikey at Chargaon

East Pench Driver’s training list

West Pench Driver’s training list

Education Van Programme

There were 3 film shows on Biodiversity Conservation in October.

Mobile Health Unit (MHU)

There were 6 medical camps in October in which 146 patients were treated.

On October 10, during our medical camp at Ghatpendari, we were able to help Mr. Mitaram Mahagu Mularwar, a 35-year old daily wage worker of the Forest Department who was suffering from pain in his joints which prevented him from doing regular work. Dr. Zanzal examined the patient and prescribed medicines and counselled him about his problem. After treatment, Mitaram has been able to do his work regularly.