Activity Update April 2016: Satpura Tiger Reserve

Highlights:

Jhirpa - Containers with water for birds being placed in a tree 

Matkuli - Villagers arrange for water for birds 

New Pattan - Villagers learn to make furniture from lantana

Pisuwa - Villagers take out rally to promote awareness
 about conservation

Tekapar - Dr. Bhasme examines patients at our free medical camp

THE FULL REPORT

Team : Ashfaq Aarbi – Conservation Officer

             Hameed Khan – Field assistant

Highlights

·      6 water conservation voluntary work projects during the month – built 1 check dam, 4 water bodies cleaned and 1 soak pit dug

·      8 awareness programmes on vermi compost

·      9 awareness programmes on forest fire

·      11 awareness programmes on need to provide water for birds

·      Arranged programme at New Pattan to train villagers in making lantana products

·      2 awareness programmes on National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) schemes

·      Medical camps in 5 villages – 115  patients treated

·      Visit to check on status of  6 villages which have already been relocated

·      Celebration of Earth Day at Matkuli

·      Participated in Gram Uday se Bharat Uday Abhiyan – programme to promote awareness of Central Government’s social, livelihood and economic development schemes among villagers

Conservation

During April, we organized 6 programmes related to water conservation.  

On April 15, we organized a programme to build a check dam on a stream around 3 km from Matkuli village. The site is known as Matkuli nallah. A team comprising of 5 adult villagers, 20 students from Government Middle School (GMS), Matkuli and Ashfaq and Hameed built the dam. The resultant water body will benefit domestic livestock in the day time and wildlife at nights. Spotted deer, monkeys and leopards are spotted in the area.

On April 19, we organized a program to dig a soak pit at GMS, Pisuwa. 11 students from the school joined hands with Hameed in digging the pit, which will take spillover water from a hand pump on the school premises. The pit will help to recharge the water table around the hand pump.

On April 22, we organized a programme to clean a water body in the jungle around 2.5 km from Pisuwa village. The water body, which is located in the buffer zone, was covered with leaves and organic litter and animals were finding it difficult to drink. Our team, consisting of field assistant Hameed Khan, 10 adult villagers and 4 students from GMS; Pisuwa cleared the litter and made the water body accessible to the animals again. Spotted deer are regularly spotted around the water body while there are occasional sightings of sloth bears and leopards.

 Similar programmes were organized at Maili, Pisuwa and Tekapar on April 24, 29, 30.

Our teams also organized 8 programmes in our area of operations to promote awareness on vermi compost.

During the month, our team organized 9 programmes in villages to promote awareness about forest fires and the need for everyone to join hands in fighting fires. In 2 of the meetings, local staff of the Forest Department joined us in addressing the villagers.

The details are given in the table below.

Our teams work across the landscape to provide water to birds during the scorching summer. In Satpura Tiger Reserve, Hameed Khan motivated villagers in Tekapar, Chirrai, Khari, Chandanpipariya, Chillod, Mohgaon Almod, Khanchari, Karer, Aaditoriya, Jhirpa, Dundi and Bandhaan to put up small containers with water for birds to quench their thirst. The containers were placed at suitable places in trees and roofs of houses and buildings.

Celebration of Earth Day

On April 21, we organized a programme to celebrate Earth Day at Matkuli. At the programme, 50 households were identified in which water containers were put up for birds to get drinking water.

Water conservation was also discussed at the meeting. Following the meeting, villagers voluntarily dug a trench to collect water leaking from an overhead tank. This makeshift water tank now provides drinking water for domestic livestock, while, earlier, the water was being wasted. 

The programme was attended by Mr. Ram Shankar Sharma (Nodal Officer, Sanjay Gandhi State Youth Leadership and Development Institute, Pachmarhi), Mr. Aashish Kumar Khobragade (Ranger, Pachmarhi), and Mr. L.K. Shukla (Deputy Ranger), Mr. Kamal Kishor Pal (Sarpanch), Mr. M. Khan (Journalist from ETV) and around 30 villagers from Matkuli.

Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan

On April 19 and 20, our team participated in Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan (Village Shining leads to India Shining programme) at Matkuli and Pisuwa. This programme aims to promote awareness of Central Government’s social, livelihood and economic development schemes among villagers.

Other participants included Smt. Laxmi bai Yada (Sarpanch, Pisuwa), Mr. Omprakash Sahi (Secretary, Gram Panchayat, Pisuwa), Mr. L.K. Shukla (Deputy Ranger), Mr. Dilbagh Singh (Janshiksak), Mr. Kamal Kishor Pal (Sarpanch), Mr. M. Khan (Journalist from ETV) and around 100 villagers.

Employment Cell -Training programme

Rural Self-Employment Training Institute (RSETI) Hoshangabad organized a programme to train villagers to make products from lantana such as furniture and fancy items. Mr. Abhijeet Agrawal, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Zilla Panchayat, Hoshangabad invited us to send 30 candidates from relocated villages in our area of operations to be trained as carpenters. We identified 30 villagers from Kukra, New Pattan and Nandner villages and sent them for the 15-day programme, which ran from April 3 to 17. The entire cost of the programme is being borne by Zilla Panchayat, Hoshangabad under NRLM.

Employment Cell

During the month, our team organized meetings with unemployed youths in 2 villages to discuss livelihood options with them.

The details are given in the table below.

Mobile Health Service (MHS)

Satpuda Foundation organizes medical camps at which villagers get free treatment and medicines. These camps, whose schedule is set in conjunction with the managements of the respective Tiger Reserves, are run by the Mobile Health Service (MHS) of Satpuda Foundation.

There were health camps in 5 villages in April.

Relocated villages

Ashfaq and Hameed Khan visited the relocated villages of Sonpur, Raikheda, Mongra, Jamandhonga, Parraspani, Anjandana, Dhargaon, Nankot, Kukra and Nandner during April to follow up on the status of the relocated villagers.

Shri A.K. Nagar, Field Director & Chief Conservator of Forests, Shri A.K. Mishra, Dep. Director, Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) and Abhijeet Agrawal (CEO, Zilla Panchayat, Hoshangabad) have asked Satpuda Foundation to focus on youths from relocated villages in our livelihood activities. STR management will approach the concerned government agencies to implement livelihood training programmes under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).    

BCRLIP villages

Shri A.K. Mishra, Dep. Director, STR has asked Satpuda Foundation to focus on villagers from Almod, Barud and Kukarpani villages in our livelihood activities. STR management will approach the concerned government agencies to implement livelihood training programmes under the Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihood Improvement Project (BCRLIP) in these villages.