The Union environment ministry has launched the second round of nationwide population estimation of dolphins and their estimation protocol. The survey has commenced with 26 researchers in three boats, recording ecological and habitat parameters, and using technologies such as hydrophones for underwater acoustic monitoring, the ministry said in a release on Saturday.
In the first phase, the survey will cover the main stem of the Ganga from Bijnor to Ganga Sagar and the Indus River. In the second phase, it will cover Brahmaputra, the tributaries of the Ganga, the Sundarbans, and Odisha. Apart from the Ganges River Dolphin, the survey will assess the status of the Indus River Dolphin and Irrawaddy Dolphins, along with habitat condition, threats, and associated conservation-priority fauna. This initiative will generate robust scientific data to support evidence-based conservation planning and policy action for India’s river ecosystems, the environment ministry said.
The previous nationwide survey (2021–23) recorded an estimated 6,327 riverine dolphins in India, including Ganges River Dolphins in the Ganga, Yamuna, Chambal, Gandak, Ghaghara, Kosi, Mahananda and Brahmaputra systems, and a small population of Indus River Dolphins in the Beas. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar accounted for the largest numbers, followed by West Bengal and Assam, highlighting the critical importance of the Gangetic basin for long-term dolphin conservation.
“The ongoing survey follows the same standardised methodology as the previous exercise, however will additionally cover new stretches and operational areas to include a new species, Irrawaddy dolphin, estimation in Sundarbans and Odisha. This expanded spatial coverage will help update population estimates for this species, assess threats and habitat conditions and support improved conservation planning under Project Dolphin,” the note added.
The programme is coordinated by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, in collaboration with state forest departments and partner conservation organisations WWF India, Aaranyak and Wildlife Trust of India.
A regional training workshop for forest staff from 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh was held yesterday at Bijnor, and further training would be conducted intermittently for every 10–15 districts to ensure standardised field capacity, as the survey progresses.
The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife has approved the fairway maintenance in Sultanganj-Kahalgaon Stretch of National Waterways-1, in poll bound Bihar, to provide navigational channel for vessel movement by the Inland Waterways Authority.
The stretch is an important habitat for the Gangetic Dolphin, which is endangered and a Schedule-I species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
To make the stretch, in the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, navigable, agencies will have to dredge it which could endanger aquatic life.
The standing committee of NBWL has recommended that the project proponent (Inland Waterways Authority) prepare and submit a detailed dredging plan, specifying the width allowed along with route map to the Bihar forest department prior to the commencement of any dredging activity. The plan shall include the exact dredging locations, methodology, depth, timing, and duration of operations to enable proper assessment and monitoring, the Committee said in November last year.