Water bowls set to dot city this summer to hydrate birds and animals

With the temperature rising, birds and animals living in urban spaces are facing heat-related issues like dehydration which often leads to their death.
A volunteer of Oneness NGO filling a earthen bowl with water to feed the birds  Albin Mathew
A volunteer of Oneness NGO filling a earthen bowl with water to feed the birds  Albin Mathew

KOCHI: With the temperature rising, birds and animals living in urban spaces are facing heat-related issues like dehydration which often leads to their death. To tackle this, several organisations and individuals have come up with various projects.Oneness, an NGO based in the city, launched the ‘Water Bowl’ and ‘Feeding Unit’ projects on Sunday which aim at providing birds and animals access to water and food. “Under the ‘Water Bowl’ project, the NGO is distributing earthen bowls among people who can fill the utensils with water and place them on their terraces, balconies, gardens or streets,” said Shibin Mathew, co-founder, Oneness.

The bowls are being provided free of cost and can be picked up from Concord Design Studio, Kathrikadavu, from 9am to 5pm. Already around 75 bowls have been picked up and the organisation is planning to give away around 400 bowls.

Under the ‘Feeding Unit’ project, they plan to place stands on which the top portion will be filled with water for birds and the lower portion will have food and water for animals like dogs and cats. “The climate is intolerable. Birds and animals feel the same, but have no way of communicating their discomfort. We should take the initiative to help them,” said Shibin. Dr Jai Thilak, an orthopaedic surgeon at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, has been placing earthen water bowls in his garden for the past three years. “I will be placing one soon. Birds enjoy drinking the water and taking a dip in the bowls. By placing the bowls I get a chance to see a lot of birds in my garden,” he said.
 

#BirdBathChallenge

Progressive Techies, a nonprofit organisation working in Infopark, launched the second edition of its #BirdBathChallenge on Wednesday. Under it, people can challenge each other to place clay vessels on the Infopark campus or at homes for birds. “Whoever places a bowl can challenge another person and the latter will have to place five vessels. Participants can either keep the bowls at the Infopark campus or at home. Last year around  1,000 vessels were placed. This year we are aiming for more,” said Anish Panthalani, president of Progressive Techies.

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