Birds also get thirsty, give them water this summer.

With the mercury gradually soaring up in Jharkhand, a group of concerned citizens residing in various cities of the state have renewed this appeal and urged people to provide water for birds.

While many keep pots filled with water at their respective houses, some even distribute those among interested people.

“We started hanging earthen pots on trees around Canary Hill when our town faced severe water scarcity in 2015-16,” said Mritunjay Sharma, a government employee in Hazaribagh, adding they continued the practice and now also distribute pots among those who are interested to provide water to birds.

Responding to their appeal, morning walkers would bring water bottles for filling up those pots placed around Canary Hill, he said, adding most of them now also place pots at convenient locations of their houses so that birds get to drink water from those.

Birds drink water at Prabhat Kumar’s garden in Ranchi. Shabbir Hussain and Prabhat Kumar

“We also distribute around 200 earthen pots every year since then and will do it again next week,” Sharma further informed.

“His initiative made many in Hazaribagh aware of this duty and they started providing water for birds during summer,” agreed Shib Shankar Goswami, founder of Birds Buddies who also teaches at the local St Xavier’s school, adding he too does the same.

“I have been doing it at my small garden for the past many years and already kept water pots for birds this year too,” said Prabhat Kumar, a retired Coal India executive who resides at Ashok Nagar in Ranchi and spends his retired life studying birds and butterflies.

He likes watching various types of birds coming to his garden for drinking water and also tries to capture them with his camera. Kumar said he had a good collection of such photographs.

“We too have been distributing earthen pots among interested people of Jharia area since 2016 and also provide rope hangers to those who like to hang those pots for attracting birds,” said Akhlaque Ahmad of Dhanbad who is associated with Youth Concept, a social organisation.

“I got a pot from them today,” said Anwar Solanki of Jharia, adding he would place it on the roof of his house and keep filling it with water.

They distribute around 80 pots among interested people every year who also keep watch when those pots need refilling, he added.

Birds actually do not need much water as mammals do because they don’t have sweat glands, experts say, adding they still lose water through respiration and in their droppings and most small birds, therefore, need water only twice a day to compensate ost water.

All can surely provide them that much water, particularly during the summer, to help them quench their thirst, the bird lovers argue.