Highlights:
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| Field Assistant Dilip Lanjewar helps to put out a fire in the Fulzari beat |
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| Fighting a forest fire in Chargaon |
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| Our Field Assistant Bandu Uikey and the rest of the team after putting out a major fire |
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| Awaleghat - our Field Assistant Balkrishna Bagmare helps villagers put up water pots for birds |
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| Village EcoDevelopment Committee members on forest patrol with our team and the Forest Department staff |
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| Free health camp at Khudsapar: Dr Bhasme with a patient |
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| Our team helping to clean a park waterhole |
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| Pipariya - our President Kishor Rithe talking to students from a Nagpur college at our nature camp |
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| Sawara: Our Field Assistant explains the importance of water to children on a nature trail |
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| Sawara children on a nature trail |
THE FULL REPORT
Team: Mandar Pingle –
Conservation Officer
Bandu Uikey, Dilip Lanjewar – Field
assistants
Highlights
·
Team assisted in fighting fires in the
forest on seven occasions
·
One voluntary work project organised to
clean a water hole
·
One check dam constructed on World Earth Day
·
Dilip organised Village Eco-development
Committee (VEDC) forest patrols in Khapa and Wagholi once each
·
Bandu joined Forest Department staff in
patrol once in Ghorad beat
·
Meetings organised to sensitize villagers on
the issue of ill effects of forest fires
·
Dilip organised one nature trail each for
children of Khapa, Sawara and Sillari villages - total of 41 children
participated
·
A total of 188 patients treated during 6
free health camps
Conservation
On April 15,
Bandu Uikey led a team of 3 villagers of Kolitmara to join 2 staff members of
the Forest Department in a programme to clean a waterhole at Mama Tower hut in
core area of Pench Tiger Reserve. Leaves and other organic matter had fallen
into the waterhole and clogged it up, making it difficult for wildlife to
drink. In the recent past, cases of poisoning of water hole have come to front
and it has been speculated that some tigers have been killed due to poisoning. Bandu
demonstrated the use of litmus paper to the Forest Department staff to check
the water hole for poisoning. After our programme, the water hole is being used
by wild life for drinking once again.
On April 21,
Dilip Lanjewar led a team of 6 members of the Village Eco-Development Committee
(VEDC) from Wagholi on a foot patrol in the forest near their village. The VEDC
members checked for indications of illegal tree felling or poaching during the
patrol. No such illegal activities were recorded during the patrol. They also
checked for presence of wildlife from the pugmarks, hoof marks, scat or dung.
There were many
indications of wildlife, including tigers in the area.
Dilip asked the
villagers to take appropriate care to avoid any conflict with wildlife and to
also keep a vigil for any illegal activities.
A similar
patrol was organised by Dilip on April 23 along with 5 VEDC members of Khapa
village. These community-based patrols are supplemental to the regular patrols
being done by the Forest Department. During the summer season, these patrol
teams also look out for any forest fires.
On April 18, Mandar Pingle and
Dilip Lanjewar assisted Forest Department staff in controlling a forest fire
near Fulzari village inside the core area in East Range of Pench Tiger Reserve.
The fire engulfed almost 80 hectares of forest area.
According to the Forest Department
officials, the fire seemed to have been deliberately started by some
miscreants. However, the Forest Department staff along with villagers, tourist
guides, and Gypsy jeep drivers from Ghoti, Pipariya, Sillari and Salai villages
controlled the fire.
The Forest Department is now
investigating the matter and a search is on for the culprits.
A similar such fire was reported
near Fulzari on April 7 morning as well. Dilip Lanjewar successfully assisted
the Forest Department staff in fighting that fire along with some youths from
Ghoti village.
On April 12, Bandu Uikey assisted
Forest Department staff and villagers from Ghatpendari in fighting a fire in
the Ghorad beat on the Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh border. Upon receiving
information regarding the fire, Bandu organised a team of youths and led the
team in fighting the fire successfully.
This area witnessed fires in the
month of April 2017 on numerous occasions. Hence, Bandu Uikey along with the
Forest Department staff organised regular foot patrols in the area. The fires
did not occur once the team started patrolling the area.
It is speculated that villagers
involved in collecting minor forest produce might be responsible for these
fires. However no culprit was caught and investigations are under way.
On April 21, Balkrishna Bagmare
and 4 villagers controlled a fire that could have spread from a farm towards
the forest area. A fire started in a farm on the boundary of Pench Tiger
Reserve near Chargaon village, went out of control and stated spreading towards
the forest area. Balkrishna and 4 villagers immediately took action and
controlled the fire from spreading towards the forest area.
On April 28, Dilip Lanjewar,
Bandu Uikey and Mandar Pingle assisted Forest Department staff in detecting and
controlling a fire in Pauni buffer range of Pench Tiger Reserve.
On the afternoon of April 28,
Satpuda Foundation’s staff Rajesh Dongre informed Mandar and Dilip that smoke
is visible from the forest area. Mandar, Dilip and Bandu immediately rushed to
the spot and confirmed that there was a fire in the forest near the
Hiwara-Salai road.
Mandar immediately informed Range
Forest Officer (RFO) Mr. Pakhale. RFO Mr. Pakhale dispatched a team of Forest Department
to control the fire. The fire was successfully controlled with the use of
blower machines.
Every year, at the onset of
summer season, central Indian landscape witnesses a steep rise in farm and
forest fires. Most of these fires are man-made.
Farmers burn farm waste as it reduces their labor costs for
waste removal while some fires in the forest are started by miscreants nursing
grudges against the Forest Department.
On April 13, Dilip Lanjewar organised
a meeting for a self-help group (SHG) of women from Kadbikheda village. During
the meeting, Dilip made the women aware about the ill-effects of forest fires
and burning farm waste. He informed them that by burning farm waste, useful
microorganisms like earthworms in the fertile layer of the soil are killed
unnecessarily. Burning the farm waste also leads to loss of moisture from the
top layer of soil leading to increased rate of soil erosion.
Dilip explained to the women that
instead of burning the farm waste, they can turn the farm waste into organic
compost in numerous cost effective ways.
A similar such meeting was organised
by Dilip in Ghoti village on April 19 during which the members of ‘Vyaghra
Mitra Mandal’ actively participated.
On April 24,
Dilip led 17 children from Sawara village on a nature trail in the jungle
adjoining the village. On the trail, Dilip identified various species of local
flora and fauna and explained the need for conservation to the children. Dilip
also played informative nature games with the kids. He then read to them about
various tree species from the book titled ‘Trees of Central Indian Jungles’ and
gave the kids detailed information on various fruit and flower trees found in
the forest close to their village as well as other parts of the landscape.
Similar nature
trails were organised by Dilip on April 23 in Khapa village in which 13 kids
participated and on April 27 for 11 children of Sillari village.
On April 22, Satpuda Foundation
celebrated ‘Vishwa Vasundhara Divas’ (World Earth Day) in various parts of
Pench Tiger Reserve.
In East Pench Range, Mandar Pingle
and Dilip Lanjewar organised a meeting with villagers of Wagholi to sensitize
them about the ill-effects of forest fires and farm fires. Mandar and Dilip
requested the villagers to shun wrong agricultural practices like burning farm
waste and adopt organic farming and composting techniques.
Bandu Uikey and Balkrishna Bagmare
celebrated the day with students of Zilla Parishad Primary school in Siladevi
village. Later they organised a voluntary work project programme to construct a
check dam on a stream near the village. The check dam is an effort to conserve
water during the harsh, dry summer season.
Mobile Health Unit (MHU)
There were 6 camps in
April.
