Activity Update April 2018: Pench Madhya Pradesh

Highlights:

THE FULL REPORT

Team: Amit Awasthi – Conservation Officer

            Niranjan Hinge – Field Assistants

 

Highlights

• Organised voluntary work project to clean water tank in Satosha village
• Repaired 2 biogas units in Aamajhiri and Potiya villages
• Organised voluntary work project to prepare compost tank in Telia village
• 5 awareness programmes on forest fire
• Celebrated Vishwa Vasundhara Divas in buffer villages at Potiya village
• Installed water pots for birds in Potiya and Durgapur village
• 6 classroom education lectures organised - 150 students attended
• 7 film shows on nature and wildlife – attended by 287 students
• 2 nature trails for school children – attended by 37 students
• Organised 6 medical camps, 139 patients treated
• Assisted 1 unemployed youth in getting a job
• Assisted two women self help groups (SHGs) to connect with National Rural Livelihood Mission  

Conservation

On April 27, Niranjan Hinge along with 12 villagers of Durgapur village cleaned a water tank near a hand pump through a voluntary work project. During the summer season, water scarcity for cattle makes cattle wander near the forest area in search of water. There is a high risk of the cattle being killed by carnivores like tigers or leopards leading to human-wildlife conflict.

Diseases can also be transmitted from the domestic cattle to the wild herbivore species. Niranjan encouraged the villagers to clean the water tank near a hand pump inside the village so that the cattle do not have to venture close to the forest area. 

On April 12 Niranjan Hinge repaired a faulty biogas unit in Potiya village. Biogas helps reduce villagers’ dependence on firewood from forest areas. Biogas stoves also emit less smoke than firewood and are therefore healthier for the villagers. 

Niranjan repaired another biogas unit in Aamajhiri village on April 29.

On April 23, Niranjan and 2 volunteers from Telia prepared a compost pit in the backyard of Mahesh Raut. The organic waste from the farm was used along with cow dung and kitchen manure to fill the compost pit. The compost will be ready to use in around 3 months.Niranjan explained to Raut that using organic compost will help improve the soil quality and also save him money which he would have spent in buying chemical-based fertilisers.

In April, our team organised awareness programmes on forest fires in Durgapur, Telia, Khamrith, Doodhgaon and Kundai. Fires are a recurring hazard during summer. Sometimes, villagers start fires as they believe that tendu leaves sprout better after burning. Collection of tendu leaves takes place during April. In our awareness programmes, we explained the dangers that such fires cause to the forest and to wildlife and how they could harm villages if they blazed out of control.

On April 22, Niranjan celebrated Vishwa Vasundhara Divas by organising a nature trail and installing water pots for birds in Potiya village. Niranjan took 16 children on a nature trail near their village. During the nature trail, Niranjan taught the children how to identify pugmarks and hoofmarks of wild animals. The children were amazed to know that many wild animals venture near their village farms. During the nature trail, the children were able to spot various birds like drongo, bay-backed shrike, shikra and spotted owlets. Niranjan also provided information on the flora of Pench to the children. 

Later, Niranjan along with these children installed water pots for birds at various locations in their village.  

On April 12, Niranjan along with 8 children of Durgapur village installed artificial water pots in their village for birds during the summer season. Niranjan encouraged the children to regularly fill up the water pots with water so that the birds can drink water during the dry summer season. 

Immediately after the pots were installed, the kids were able to spot various birds like bulbuls, sunbirds, shrikes, sparrows, and magpie-robins at the water pots.I

n April, we organised 2 nature trails for the children of Ambadi and Potiya villages. On the trails, our staff spoke to the children about the various plants and common medicinal uses of those plants. They were also taught how to spot and identify birds. The importance of birds in nature also explained to the children. A total of 37 children participated in the programmes.

Environmental Education Programme

There were 6 environment education programmes in classrooms during April.

Education Van Programme

There were 7 film shows during April.

Employment Cell  

We helped one youth get a job in April.

In April, our team assisted 15 women in re-activating Srushti women’s self help group. The group was also registered in National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) through which it received a start-up revolving fund of 15,000/- rupees. The group will be able to utilise the funds to start a micro or small scale enterprise. The group was also provided documents pertaining to book keeping and accounting from the Zilla Panchayat, Seoni.

Mrs Abida Bi, Project co-ordinator, NRLM, Kurai block, spoke with the members in this regard and provided more information regarding various schemes.

Our staff assisted 12 women of Turiya village to form a new self help group. The new group is named Roshni Self Help Group. Our staff also assisted this group to register with NRLM.

Mobile Health Service (MHS)

We held 6 medical camps in April, in which 165 patients were treated free of cost.