‘April Cool’: City group helps Kharghar forest animals beat the heat

NAVI MUMBAI: This

April

Fool’s Day, a group of 54 people from the city decided to use the occasion not to pull pranks but rather mark it as ‘April

Cool

’ Day. Members of city-based

Shashwat Foundation

made artificial ponds along with forest department officials in

Kharghar

hills forest region to help animals beat the summer heat.

Big containers were cut into half and placed in the soil. Pebbles and bushes were placed to make them look natural. These ‘ponds’ were then filled with water.

“During summer many birds and animals fall sick, even lose their lives. It is the responsibility of humans to save animals and keep a balance in the eco-system. Kharghar hills is rich in flora and fauna but has a scarcity of water. So we chose this area and placed five artificial ponds,” said Bina Gogri, a member of the group. The forest department will ensure the ponds are filled with water regularly, said Raghunath Yadav, another member of the group. Forest guards will also rescue small animals in case of a drowning in these artificial ponds, Yadav added.