Activity Update August 2017: Navegaon-Nagzira

Highlights:

Plastic litter clean-up drive at Thadezari

Our team accompanied the Forest Department staff on 9 forest patrols 

Asalpani - plastic litter clean-up drive

Demonstrating how to make eco-friendly Ganesh idols at Bolunda

Wildlife film screenings for Bolunda students

Free health camp at Chorkamarra - Dr Zanjal examines patients

Kuradi students learn to make eco-friendly Ganesh idols

THE FULL REPORT

Team:

Mukund Dhurve         - Conservation Officer

Jivraj Salam                 - Field assistant

Salimkumar Dhurve    - Field assistant

Highlights

·      Joined Forest Department staff on 9 patrols

·      7 community assistance voluntary work programs to clean area next to hand pumps at

·      7 anti-plastic programmes

·      Organised 7 classroom programmes in which 1,478 students were present

·      Organised 6 film shows in which 1,039 students were present

·      Organised 5 medical camps in which 183 patients got free treatment

Conservation 

Our team organised 7 community assistance programs in August to clear areas around hand pumps. Unemployed youths from Mangezari participated in the programmes which were led by Mukund and Salimkumar. Details of the programmes are given 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 on the roads from Mangezari to Kodebarra, Mangezari to Jindatola, Mangezari to Bagadband and in Compartment no. 109.

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 Conservation Officer Mukund Dhurve.  

During the month, our team organised 7 anti-plastic programmes to clean polythene/plastic litter from villages. The programmes were organised on August 1, 4, 13, 15, 23, 26 and 27 at Bodalkasa, Mangezari, Asalpani, Thadezari, Bagadband, Pitezari and Jindatola villages respectively. Mukund, Salimkumar and Jivraj organised the programmes 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.

     

The Government of Maharashtra has issued the buffer zone notification for the Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve. Following this, doubts have sprung up in the minds of villagers as to how they will be affected by the notification. Due to the doubts, some villagers are opposing the notification. To clear these doubts and misgivings, we organised a total of 2 awareness programmes during August in 2 villages – Thadezari, and Bagadband.

Education

There were 7 education programmes during August 2017 which were attended by 1,478 students.

Education van

There were 6 film shows during August 2017 which were attended by 722 students.

Mobile Health Service

There were 5 health camps in August 2017 attended by 183 patients.

Activity Update August 2017: Kanha

Highlights:

Amit Das of Chhapri, at his new place of work, Voila Resort

Sev Kumar Pusham of Chhapri, at his new place of work, Parag Resort

12 young villagers from our region
participated in a Hospitality and Housekeeping course
in Raipur

Six girls selected by our team to be trained as park guides

Bhagpur - volunteers clear the area around a hand pump

Awareness programme by our Conservation Officer Amit Awasthi
at Chhapri

Kutwahi school nature education programme
by our Field Assistant Sampathlal Dhurve

Patpara - wildlife film screening

Batwar - plastic litter collection

Chhapri - compost pit dug in Dayal Singh's yard

THE FULL REPORT

Team: Amit Awasthi – Conservation Officer

            Sampathlal Dhurve – Field assistant

           

Highlights

                                                                                                                                          

·      2 voluntary work projects for community assistance – area next to well cleaned at Samaiya and area next to hand pump cleaned at Bhagpur

·      5 awareness programmes on conservation activity

·      5 compost pits dug

·      2 anti-plastic programmes

·      Environment education programme conducted in 9 schools - attended by 337 students

·      7 film shows on nature and wildlife – attended by 306 students

·      2 unemployed youths placed in local jobs

·      Sent 12 young villagers to a training programme in hospitality and housekeeping

·      Selected 6 women to be trained as guides


Conservation

On August 13, Amit and Sampath led a team of 8 people in a programme to clear wild growth around a well at Samaiya. Due to heavy rains, wild growth had proliferated   around the well and access to the well was affected. Our team, which comprised 11   youths from the village, removed the wild growth and cleaned the area. A similar programme was organised at Bhagpur on August 27 to clear the area next to a hand pump.

During August, our team organised 5 awareness programmes on conservation activity. The aim of the programmes is to promote awareness about the protection of the environment among the villagers, so that they provide support to our conservation programmes.

Our team encourages organic farming as part of our strategy to reduce the impact of chemical fertilisers on fields adjoining prime wildlife areas. Part of our work includes assistance to villagers in setting up vermi-compost tanks and compost pits. During August, we helped 5 villagers dig compost pits – Buddhan Markam of Sautiya on August 5, Goverdhan Saiyam of Kutwahi on August 6, Kuwer Singh Uddey of Batwar on August 7, Dayal Singh of Chapri on August 11 and Durgeshnandni Uikey of Patpara on August 28.

On August 12 our team organised an anti-plastic programme at Batwar. Amit and Sampath spoke to the students of the village school about the harmful impact of plastic/polythene on the environment and motivated them to remove such litter from the village. The students went around the village, collecting plastic and polythene litter/waste, which were then buried in a pit on the outskirts of the village.

A similar programme was organised at Chapri on August 15.

Education

During the month, our team organised environment education programmes in 9 schools in the villages in our area of operations.

Education van programme

There were 7 film shows on nature and wildlife conservation in August.

Employment Cell

We helped two youth get jobs in August.

Hospitality and Housekeeping Training programme

The Forest Department has been organising hospitality and housekeeping training programmes for the youths of local villages in an attempt to provide them with employment in the tourism industry. The training is being provided by Jagatguru Swaroopanand Shankaracharya Institute, Raipur.

The Forest Department bears the cost of training the participants.

12 young people selected by us from villages in our area of operations were provided training during August.

Park Guide Training programme

A programme to train local young people as guides has been launched at Kanha by Corbett Foundation. We selected 6 girls from villages in our area of operations for this programme.