Activity Update August 2019: Navegaon-Nagzira

 Koylari - Students of Ashram School plant saplings 

 Kurhadi - Our colleague Mukund teaches students
to make eco-friendly Ganesh idols

 Kurhadi - Students with their eco-friendly Ganesh idols 

Mangezari - Anti-plastic and garbage management programme

Wadegaon - Our team teaches students of the village school
to make eco-friendly Ganesh idols

THE FULL REPORT

Team: 

Mukund Dhurve – Assistant Conservation Officer

Highlights

• Joined Forest Department staff on foot patrols on 4 occasions
• 4 shramdaan programs to clean area next to hand pumps
• 4 anti-plastic and garbage management programs 
• 35 saplings planted in 2 programs -a total of 179 students participated
• Organised 4 environment education programs - 426 students present

Conservation (See Table 1)

Our team organised 4 community assistance programs on August 1, 07, 14and 18 to clear areas around hand pumps at Balapur, Kodebarra, Mangezari, and Chorkhamara. Unemployed young villagers from Mangezari participated in the programs which were led by Mukund. 

(Details of the programs are provided 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 Compartment No. 56, and on the paths linking Mangezari to Jindatola, Mangezari to Govindtola and Mangezari to Bagadband.  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 Assistant Conservation Officer Mukund Dhurve.

During the month, our team organised 4 anti-plastic programs and garbage management to clean polythene/plastic litter from villages. The programs were organised on August 1, 7, 14 and 18, at Balapur, Kodebarra, Mangezari and Chorkhamara villages respectively. 

Plastic litter is sometimes consumed by wild animals, causing harm to wildlife. Untended garbage sometimes lures wild animals into the village in search of food, raising the scope for human-wildlife conflict. It is, therefore, important to collect plastic litter and manage garbage properly. 

Mukund organised the programs 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. 

Education (Table 2)

There were 6 education programs in August 2019.