Activity Update September 2018: Tadoba-Andhari

Highlights:

Wildlife film screening at Bhamdeli school

 Dewada - our colleague Ajay speaking to villagers
during a survey on man-animal conflict

Villagers building a check dam at Katwal

The check dam at Katwal

Wildlife film screening at Khutwanda school

Our colleague Kishore teaching a nature education class
at Kondegaon

Plastic trash clean-up at Mudholi 

Students at Mudholi learning how to make eco-friendly Ganesh idols

Plastic litter collected during the clean-up drive at Sitarampeth

THE FULL REPORT

Team:

Conservation Officer: Mr. Ajay Poddar

Field Assistant: Mr. Kishor Dudhbarai

·      3 anti-plastic and cleanliness drives to prevent man-animal conflict - 74 villagers participated

·      1 check dam built through voluntary work project- 7 villagers participated

·      9 environment education programs - 428 students attended

·      Nature club activity -2 workshops to make eco-friendly Ganesh idols - 45 students attended

·      Celebration - World cleanup day 2018 – 65 villagers attended

·      2 women’s SHG meetings organised - 27 members attended

·      4 VEDC meetings organised - 68 villagers attended

·      Man-animal conflict survey carried out in buffer zone villages

·      2 eligible young villagers selected for backhoe loader operator training at CII, Chhindwara

Conservation  

On September 4^th, 24^th and 27^th, we organised cleanliness and anti-plastic programs with villagers of Katwal, Sitarampeth and Kondegaon. Programs were organised to remove plastic litter and waste from the areas in and around the villages and around hand pumps and water tanks as they choke drainage and attract wild animals to the villages.

We also organised awareness sessions on identification of common snakes and bite prevention. A total of 74 villagers participated in the programs.

On September 25^th, we constructed a check dam near Katwal village through voluntary work project. 7 villagers volunteered.

Education Program

On September 3^rd and 11^th,  we organised sessions on identification of common snakes, snake bite prevention and dos and don'ts when confronted by snakes. These sessions were organised  in Kondegaon and Mudholi and were attended by 85 students.

On September 7^th and 14^th,  the nature clubs ‘Ashwal’ (sloth bear) and ‘Wagh’ (tiger) - formed by our team in Zilla Parishad schools of Mudholi and Katwal respectively - participated in workshops organised by our team to make eco-friendly Ganesh idols. A total of 45 students attended.  

The Ganesh festival is celebrated across India. It lasts 10 days and culminates with the immersion of idols of the deity in water bodies. As many idols are made of artificial materials and chemicals-based colours, the immersion leaves water bodies polluted, affecting both humans and animals. Eco-friendly idols made of clay and natural colours go a long way in reducing this pollution.

On September 17^th ,18^th and 19^th , we organised environmental education  programs in Zilla Parishad schools of Bhamdeli, Sitarampeth, Katwal, Mudholi, Khutwanda, Dewada and Adegaon. A total of 343 students and teachers participated. We organised film shows, documentaries and talks on wildlife conservation.

Employment Cell

We organised 2 Self-Help Group (SHG) meetings and 4 Village Eco-Development Committee (VEDC) meetings, focusing on alternative livelihoods which would reduce dependence on the forests that leads to man-animal conflict and degradation of forests. 95 villagers attended these meetings and share their thoughts.

In the VEDC meetings, we discussed and explained short- and long-term benefits of celebrating the Ganesh festival in an eco-friendly way. We also discussed man-animal confrontation in the Moharli buffer area and how to prevent this by using cattle sheds and stall feeding for domestic cattle, which fall prey to carnivores when they head to the jungle for grazing.  

We organised meetings with unemployed young villagers from Katwal, Mudholi, Kondegaon, Sitarampeth, Bhamdeli, Junona, Dewada and Adegaon at our Moharli office and in Khutwanda to discuss residential and non-residential livelihood training programs at various institutions across Vidarbha.

Our team selected 2 unemployed young villagers from Katwal for a residential training course at Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) training centre, Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh.

Details of the programs are given below:

List of the candidates (residential training courses)

Celebrations

On September 15^th, our team organised a cleanliness drive with students of Zilla Parishad School on the occasion of World Cleanup Day. A total of 65 students participated in the program along with fellow villagers.