Eco-Pro Bhadravati begins bird watching and awareness week with lake clean-up

Eco-Pro Bhadravati carried out a clean-up drive around Gavrala lake on Thursday, November 5. The drive also marked the inauguration of a bird watching and awareness week. During the week, bird watching and awareness activities will be held at different lakes in the Bhadravati area.

Padma Bhushan Dr Salim Ali and retired forest officer Maruti Chitampalli have done invaluable work for bird conservation. In recognition of their work, and on the occasion of their birth anniversaries, a bird week is held every year from November 5 to 12. Eco-Pro Bhadravati has planned this year's week on that occasion.

The schedule is as follows. Activities will be held at Ghotnimbala lake on November 6 and Chora lake on November 7. A drawing competition will be held at the Martyrs' Memorial in Bhadravati on November 8. Activities will follow at Sumthana lake on November 9, Dolara lake on November 10 and Gorja lake on November 11. The week will close on November 12 with a concluding programme and prize distribution at the Martyrs' Memorial in Bhadravati.

All the activities will be held every day from 6 am to 8.30 am. Along with bird watching, citizens will be made aware of the importance of birds in nature, how to conserve endangered birds and their habitats, how to protect the habitats of migratory birds, and what the law on bird protection and conservation says.

With the onset of winter, many migratory birds arrive in the area from different regions. Eco-Pro Bhadravati said this is a golden opportunity to see these colourful birds, which are out of sight for the rest of the year, to study them and to contribute to their conservation.

The responsibility for protecting migratory birds, like that for local birds, rests with local citizens. Eco-Pro Bhadravati has therefore appealed to students, social organisations, bird researchers and ordinary citizens to take part in large numbers in the various activities of the week, as they did last year.

Eco-Pro taluka president Sandip Jivane, Kishor Khandalkar, Amol Daulatkar, Mangesh Padal, Abhi Lohkare, Hanuman Ghotekar, Nilesh Thakre, Pragati Jivane and Kalpana Bandurkar were present at the inauguration. Anant Mate of the Patanjali Yoga Samiti and all members of the samiti also attended.