Monday, November 12, 2018

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 4th, 24th and 27th, 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 25th, we constructed a check dam near Katwal village through voluntary work project. 7 villagers volunteered.
Education Program
On September 3rd and 11th,  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 7th and 14th,  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 17th ,18th and 19th , 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 15th, 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.



No comments: