Kamal Ghorui
Bhubaneswar: In a first-of-its-kind summer-protection drive for urban birdlife, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has installed 150 artificial nests on trees in the Old Town to help the avian species cope with extreme heat and shrinking natural shelter.Officials said the pilot project has begun around Lingaraj Temple area in Old Town, where trees that attract birds are being fitted with nests made from natural coconut coir, designed to provide a cooler and safer refuge to them.Alongside the nests, the civic body has also placed water pots on the trees.Officials said the twin arrangement of shelter and hydration is intended to improve survival conditions for birds in densely populated urban pockets where natural nesting spaces are under pressure. “Each tree has at least 15 nests and equal numbers of water pots. Altogether, 150 nests have been installed,” said BMC assistant commissioner Lokanath Bej.The initiative stands out for combining wildlife care with sustainable waste reuse. The nests are being produced at a waste-to-wealth centre, where used coconuts collected by sanitation workers are processed and coir is extracted for making the bird shelters.“Hydraulic ladders are being used to install the nests and water pots high on selected trees, ensuring safer placement and better accessibility for birds,” Bej said.The officials said the project is being closely observed in its trial phase around the temple precinct. If the response is encouraging and the nests prove effective, the model could be expanded to other parts of the city, especially in areas with significant bird presence. “By creating shaded nesting spaces and ensuring water availability, we have introduced a simple but meaningful measure to support urban birds,” a BMC official said.
