Activity Update April 2018: Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve

Highlights:

Volunteers cleaning a waterhole in the park

Volunteers cleaning a waterhole in the park

Conservation Officer Mukund helping to put out a forest fire
near Sara camp

Bhajepar - volunteers removing plastic trash from the area
adjoining the jungle

Bolunda - nature education class in Adilok High School

Jindatola - building a soak pit to help water conservation

Jindatola - women learning to make candles; part of our
initiative to promote alternative livelihoods

Mangezari - candles made by women after the training

Free health camp at Umarzari: Dr Anup Burade examines a patient

THE FULL REPORT

Team:

Mukund Dhurve         - Asst. Conservation Officer

Jivraj Salam                 - Field assistant

Surajlal Tekam            - Field assistant

Highlights

·      Joined Forest Department staff on 3 patrols

·      5 community assistance voluntary work  – programs to clean area next to hand pumps

·      5 anti-plastic programmes

·      4 waterholes cleaned and de-silted

·      Organised 4 classroom environment education programmes in which 740 students were present

·      Organised 6 medical camps in which 186 patients got free treatment

·      Organised 3 village eco-development committee (VEDC) meetings

·      Celebrated World Earth Day on April 22 at Adilok High School, Bolunda in which 104 students and 5 teachers were present

·      Assisted in fighting fires in Sarra camp and Compartment no. 109

Conservation

Our team organised 5 community assistance programs on April 3, 6, 7, 25 and 28 to clear areas around hand pumps at Bhajepar, Pitezari, Kodebarra, Mangezari and Jindatola. Unemployed youths from Mangezari participated in all programmes which were led by Mukund and Jivraj.

Details of the programmes are given in the table above.

Water had spilled over while people drew from the hand pumps and had stagnated, leading to proliferation of mosquitoes and insects. Our teams cleared the area, removing scum and organic growth and dug canals to drain away the water.

Our team joined the Forest Department in day and night patrols in Comp. no. 109, 114 and on the road linking Mangezari and Kodebarra. Besides our staff, volunteers from a youth club at Mangezari also joined in the patrols. The youth club was set up with our assistance and is mentored by our Conservation Officer Mukund Dhurve.     

During the month, our team organised 5 anti-plastic programmes to clean polythene/plastic litter from villages. The programmes were organised on April 3, 6, 7, 25 and 28 at Bhajepar, Pitezari, Kodebarra, Mangezari and Jindatola villages respectively. Mukund and Jivraj organised the programmes which were attended by villagers and village eco-development committee (VEDC) members. The plastic litter has been kept in our Mangezari office and will be sent to Tiroda for recycling.

The Government of Maharashtra has issued the buffer zone notification for the Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve. Following this, doubts have sprung up in the minds of villagers as to how they will be affected by the notification. Due to the doubts, some villagers are opposing the notification. To clear these doubts and misgivings, we organised 3 awareness programmes during April in Thadezari, Pitezari and Umarzari.

On April 22, World Earth Day, we organised a programme at Adilok High School, Bolunda in which Mukund Dhurve spoke to the students about bio-diversity conservation.

During the month, our team assisted in fighting fires in the forest near Sarra camp and comp. no. 109.

 Education

There were 4 education programmes in April which were attended by 740 students.

Employment Cell activities

We helped 4 villagers in getting jobs during April.

Employment Cell Training activities

During April, we organised 2 programmes to train members of women’s SHGs in making candles. This will help them earn additional income and reduce their dependence on forests.

The first programme was at Mangezari and the second at Jindatola. Details are given below.

Mangezari programme:

Jindatola programme:

During April, we also sent 8 youths to be trained in data entry at the Mobile Livelihood Development Centre at Goregaon run by Yuva Parivartan- National Skill Development Corporation.

Mobile Health Service (MHS)

There were 6 health camps in April.