Bhubaneswar: To help in the conservation and protection of wild animals, around 120 households in Amjhar village under Attabira tehsil in Bargarh, Tuesday joined hands with the authorities from Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary. Around 400 villagers, in the presence of Hirakud Wildlife Division DFO and DWS forest officials, pledged in front of the village deity to make Amjhar free from pollution, open defecation and use household toilets and dustbins in the locality.
DWS authorities, on a priority basis, constructed toilets in nine households that did not have the facility earlier, repaired around 76 toilets by installing doors, septic tanks, water tanks and water motors as well as repaired seepage roofs. The authorities also constructed 10 dustbins at different locations in the village. Villagers pledged to actively participate in various developmental works including ecotourism initiatives and road-repairing in and around the sanctuary.
Notably, a few villagers of the area are already engaged in ecotourism activities and around 10 per cent of revenue generated from these activities is utilised for development works Earlier, in an initiative supported by Hirakud Wildlife Division, the villagers of Dhodrukusum had declared the village as ‘Green VillageDhodrukusum’. They took a pledge to make the area neat and clean by using individual toilets and public dustbins. They ensured to keep forests safe by avoiding man-made fire and promised to paint pictures of animals on their house walls to create awareness on wildlife within the community