In Bidar, a group of youths has taken the initiative to provide water for wild animals and birds during the scorching summer months. Members of Swabhimani Geleyara Balaga have placed water containers at various locations across forests in the district, including Nagora, Chidri, Shahapur, and Nirna. The effort aims to help animals survive the harsh conditions.
Voluntary Water Supply Initiative
The group has installed cement concrete containers, each with a capacity of 120 litres, at several points inside the forests, funding the project from their own pockets. These containers are aiding wild animals such as monkeys, langurs, peacocks, and other forest species in quenching their thirst. The arrangements have been in place for a month now.
Speaking to TOI, Chandrashekhar Padashetty, president of the Balaga, explained that each container is now filled once every three days. "At the beginning of summer, we used to fill the containers once a week. As temperatures crossed 40 degrees Celsius, the water started getting exhausted within three days. To prevent rapid drying and to keep the water cooler, we have partially covered half of each container," he said. "Our Balaga has been undertaking this work every year," he added.
Motivation Behind the Effort
Balaga members recalled that years ago, they frequently read reports about langurs entering villages in search of water due to the lack of water sources in forests. "Animals cannot express their thirst—it is something humans have to understand. That is when we decided to maintain water containers in the forests of Bidar district," they said.
They further stated that the containers are buried partially to prevent damage and improve durability. "We clean the containers every time before refilling them, which we do once every three days. We have a committee of about 200 members, including private employees, teachers, businessmen, and agriculturists—people from all sections of society," they added.
