Social group move to help street animals

Hyderabad: Summer is usually hard on street animals but with temperatures soaring the animals are finding it difficult to survive. With empathy towards street animals, countless volunteers from across the State are working with Animal Water Bowl Programme (AWBP) to provide safe drinking water to street dogs and animals. The cement made bowls are now found in many areas within the city limits, Ranga Reddy and Medchal districts that quench the thirst of dogs as well as birds too, round the clock down the year.

Talking to The Hans India, Animal Water Bowl Programme Founder Lakshman, stated that, “witnessing the animals being on the hunt for water always and sometimes die of drinking unsafe water that is found at unhygienic spots, made me come up with this Animal Water Bowl Programme, in the year 2017, with the only motive to provide safe drinking water to street animals on par with human beings down the year.”

Raghuraman, volunteer from Sainikpuri said that, “It is a great opportunity to work for the welfare of street animals. After being impressed with the initiative by Lakshman, founder of AWBP, I decided to become one among his other volunteers to support the cause.”

Volunteers of all ages, from children to adults, sometimes join pace to contribute their part for the social cause. “Here children come collectively to participate in water bowl painting and give numbers to them from being misplaced. It is very important to teach children that it is the responsibility of every individual to have concern for their fellow living beings,” Raghuraman added.

Lakshman, working with a prominent MNC firm, wishes to make it as a full time job, “I want to give all my time to the welfare of street animals. For now, the response is huge and could have sponsored these bowls to almost 500 volunteers and the initiative had become popular in both the States of Telangana and Maharashtra,” he said.

In order to reduce travel for many volunteers, who come from far away locations to avail water bowls, the stock is available at 10 different places including Kondapur , Malkajgiri, Padmarao Nagar, Sainikpuri, Moula Ali, Kukatpally, Uppal, Somajiguda, West Marredpally, and Alwal.

Speaking about the challenges faced, Lakshman added that funds generation had become the uphill task. As of now, there are no enough sponsors to support the cause. However, we are putting efforts to bring in awareness among many through various programmes and release of short films which highlight the pathetic conditions of street dogs and how they suffer from water crisis down the year.

On the other hand, the volunteers are using the bowls keep them filled with fresh water for the animals on regular basis. “I have always been haunted with the question that how far the initiative is perfectly implemented as I have no regular employees to check the act of volunteers. But, I am mulling ways to fix it and ensure that there is no mismanagement,” he stated.

By Sushma Nagaraju