Activity Update October 2017: Pench Madhya Pradesh

Team: Amit Awasthi – Conservation Officer

            Mandar Pingle – Conservation Officer

            Niranjan Hinge, Kamlesh Pawar – Field Assistants

 

Highlights

·      Niranjan conducted socio-economic survey in 7 villages

·      Kamlesh conducted socio-economic survey in 5 villages

·      Data entry for socio-economic survey of 7 villages completed

During the month of October 2017, our team conducted socio-economic survey in 12 villages out of 24 villages of our working area. Following are the village wise details of our survey in brief:

• Ambadi: There are 52 households in Ambadi village and a total population of 304. The average agricultural landholding is of 1.125 Ha. Total cattle population is 113 in the village with no commercial milk production. This year a total of 2000 kg of mahua collection and 40000 packets (1packet = 100 leaves) of tendu collection was done throughout the village. Average earning per family from mahua is INR 770/- and INR 961/- that of tendu was analysed from the survey. 40.38% households use LPG, while 6 households have biogas units. There are in all 23 television sets, 9 fans, 101 bulbs in the entire village.

•  Awarghani: There are 47 households in Awarghani village and a total population of 263. The average agricultural landholding is of 2.13 Ha. Total cattle population is 77 in the village with no commercial milk production. This year a total of 3475 kg of mahua collection and 28900 packets (1packet = 100 leaves) of tendu collection was done throughout the village. Average earning per family from mahua is INR 1479/- and INR 768/- that of tendu was analysed from the survey. 60% households use LPG, while 8 households have biogas units. There are in all 24 television sets, 23 fans, 92 bulbs in the entire village.

• Durgapur: There are 42 households in Durgapur village and a total population of 210. The average agricultural landholding is of 0.92 Ha. Total cattle population is 62 in the village with no commercial milk production. This year a total of 3395 kg of mahua collection and 25600 packets (1packet = 100 leaves) of tendu collection was done throughout the village. Average earning per family from mahua is INR 1580/- and INR 770/- that of tendu was analysed from the survey. 67% households use LPG, while 6 households have biogas units. There are in all 15 television sets, 12 fans, 78 bulbs in the entire village.

• Satosha: There are 101 households in Satosha village and a total population of 565. The average agricultural landholding is of 3.83Ha. Total cattle population is 284 in the village with no commercial milk production. This year a total of 11945 kg of mahua collection and 51900 packets (1packet = 100 leaves) of tendu collection was done throughout the village. Average earning per family from mahua is INR 2365/- and INR 642/- that of tendu was analysed from the survey. 70.29% households use LPG, while 2 households have biogas units. There are in all 47 television sets, 31 fans, 186 bulbs in the entire village.

• Jamuntola: There are 37 households in Jamuntola village and a total population of 201. The average agricultural landholding is of 0.95 Ha. Total cattle population is 98 in the village with no commercial milk production. This year a total of 4450 kg of mahua collection and 42020 packets (1packet = 100 leaves) of tendu collection was done throughout the village. Average earning per family from mahua is INR 2405/- and INR 1433/- that of tendu was analysed from the survey. 73% households use LPG, while 5 households have biogas units. There are in all 23 television sets, 23 fans, 84 bulbs in the entire village.

• Khamba: There are 78 households in Khamba village and a total population of 432. The average agricultural landholding is of 1.8 Ha. Total cattle population is 180 in the village with no commercial milk production. This year a total of 5120 kg of mahua collection and 30910 packets (1packet = 100 leaves) of tendu collection was done throughout the village. Average earning per family from mahua is INR 1313/- and INR 495/- that of tendu was analysed from the survey. 56.41% households use LPG, while 18 households have biogas units. There are in all 24 television sets, 17 fans, 137 bulbs in the entire village.

• Khamrith: There are 27 households in Khamrith village and a total population of 149. The average agricultural landholding is of 1.54 Ha. Total cattle population is 74 in the village with no commercial milk production. This year a total of 825 kg of mahua collection and 23600 packets (1packet = 100 leaves) of tendu collection was done throughout the village. Average earning per family from mahua is INR 603/- and INR 1083/- that of tendu was analysed from the survey. 75% households use LPG, while 3 households have biogas units. There are in all 12 television sets, 12 fans, 46 bulbs and one fridge in the entire village.

Activity Update October 2017: Navegaon-Navgira

Highlights:

Children on a nature trail spend time with a camp elephant
used by the Forest Department

Volunteers collect material to build a check dam in Compartment No. 56

Completed check dam in Compartment No. 56

Members of Women's Self Help Group trained to make bangles
made of lac

Our volunteers join Forest Department staff on a patrol

Our volunteers help clean a waterhole in the park

Bolunda - Our team speaks to children during Wildlife Week

Bolunda - Conservation rally organised by us during Wildlife Week

Jindatola - volunteers clearing wild growth to prevent snakes
and scorpions hiding in the vegetation

Kodebarra - villagers clear wild growth to prevent snakes and scorpions
from hiding in the vegetation

Mangezari - conservation rally 

Thadezari - volunteers from the village clean up plastic litter
from the area near the forest

Forest Department clear wild growth near the Umarzari
gate 

 THE FULL REPORT

Team:

Mukund Dhurve         - Asst.  Conservation Officer

Jivraj Salam                 - Field assistant

Salimkumar Dhurve    - Field assistant

Highlights

·      Joined Forest Department staff on 9 patrols

·      9 community assistance programmes to clean area next to hand pumps

·      9 anti-plastic programmes

·      Cleaning of waterholes in Comp. no. 114, Comp. no. 56

·      Built 1 check dam at Comp. no. 56

·      Celebrated Wildlife Week

Conservation

Our team organised 9 community assistance programs in October to clear areas around hand pumps in different villages. Unemployed youths from Mangezari participated in all 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 linking Mangezari to Kodebarra, Mangezari to Jindatola, Mangezari to Govindtola, Mangezari to Bagadband, Mangezari to Balapur and Mangezari to Bolunda and in Compartment no. 108, Compartment no. 56 and Compartment no. 57.

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 9 anti-plastic programmes to clean polythene/plastic litter from villages. The programmes were organised on October 9, 13, 14, 15, 18, 21, 24, 25 and 29 at Jindatola, Thadezari, Sodlagondi, Chorkhamara, Pitezari, Umarzari, Govindtola, Thadezari and Asalpani 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 2 awareness programmes during October in Thadezari and Sodlagondi.

On October 23, we build a check dam in Compartment no. 56 in which forest guard, volunteers and our staff participated.

We also celebrated Wildlife Week from 1^st to 7^th October.

Wildlife Week celebration programme

     

 

Education

There were 4 education programmes in October 2017 which were attended by 955 students.

Employment Cell activities

Two women started making bangles from lac. They were earlier trained through a programme organised by us in making bangles from lac.