HYDERABAD: The summer is getting hotter with each passing year and our feathered friends are struggling to stay hydrated. Haphazard urbanisation and rising pollution levels have made things worse for them, with crows and sparrows vanishing from Hyderabad’s landscape and flocking to cleaner, greener villages. Experts say it is high time that the lost nature is reintroduced to the city, which is possible by adapting different habitats that provide comfort to these winged creatures.
According to Dr Ramesh, a veterinarian, birds play an important role in our ecosystem and it is critical to protect all the species. Overcrowding is the primary cause of bird loss in cities, he says. Urging people to minimise noise pollution, he says returning the lost birds to Hyderabad would be unlikely if the city continues to be ‘anti-species’. “Keep a bowl of water on your balcony or terrace during the summer. Ideally, one should use a mud or clay bowl,” he says.
Dr Ramesh also suggests that people should adopt birds and help keep them secure in their natural environment. He stresses the need to plant more trees as this may attract a small number of birds back to the city. “But if pollution levels are not regulated, they will never return,” he says. Panneeru Teja, an animal rights activist, recommends that parents should teach their children compassion for all birds. “They should explain to kids as to why birds are important and a part of our world, and how saving animals impacts the planet and climate,” he says. Even a small gesture, such as placing a bowl of water, can be of huge help to birds, particularly in the summer. Birds can quickly become dehydrated and suffer a sunstroke.
According to Teja, preserving nesting houses can attract birds to the city. “Unfortunately, there is no natural source of water due to pollution. By preserving their nests, we might be able to save many birds from dying of sunstroke,” he says. Sanjeev Nag, the founder of the Water Bowl Initiative for Community Animals and an animal rights activist, says every other big city is bursting at its seams with people. “Modern methods have made it possible for us to get clean drinking water directly into our taps at home. We have become somewhat unresponsive to events such as the closure of a nearby open well, lake or pond. We are unresponsive because we consider it infrastructure construction rather than a direct threat. In reality, we’ve created a city with less water supplies for native species,” he says.
Describing the tragic condition of birds, which has caused them to migrate for decades, he says: “Birds have no choice but to look around for water and then sadly, amid all the modern construction, they find themselves quenching their thirst from an open sewage system which carries everything from detergents to soaps to chemicals to human excreta.”