Gangetic dolphin in troubled waters

Faiz Rahman Siddiqui, TNN May 13, 2010, 08.41pm IST

KANPUR: The National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah district which is a habitat of aquatic animals is in troubled water these days. Soaring temperature has led to acute water scarcity posing serious threat to aquatic animals, particularly to Gangetic dolphins. Found in 1979 and spread over 435-km, it is among the country's premier wildlife sanctuaries.
The Chambal river with ample depth was once considered a safe haven for aqua creatures to breed. Wildlife experts are a worried lot as the forest department has not yet come up with any initiative to save the Gangetic dolphin (Platenista Gangetica).

According to wildlife experts, the present number of dolphins is believed to be 94 as per a survey conducted in 2007-2008. "The sanctuary is facing an acute water shortage this summer," Dr Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, Society for Conservation of Nature, told TOI.
Due to the heatwave lashing the area, linked rivers like Yamuna, Sindh, Pahuj and Chambal are receding while other small reservoirs are also on the brink of drying up.
"In the absence of water, the most affected will be aquatic animals, particularly Gangetic dolphins. This aquatic animal needs water not only for drinking but also for playing and bathing. The government agencies should have tried to make better arrangements earlier so that the animals did not suffer. It is high time they should be conserved," Chauhan said further.
He said it was shocking that till date no measures had been adopted by the government to save the Gangetic dolphin even after it was declared the national aquatic animal early this year.
"The Gangetic dolphins found in the region are a rare specie. Earlier, it was found in the Ganga river basin and all the linked rivers. But, now their habitat is limited to only a few rivers. Brahmaputra, Ganges, Chambal rivers are its natural habitat. In these specific rivers, there must be around 2,000 to 2,500 dolphins," informed Dr Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, Society for Conservation of Nature further.
According to the forest department, besides providing a safe harbour to Gangetic dolphin, the 435-km stretch of the Chambal also boasts of crocodiles, smooth-coated otters, species of terrapins and turtles, Ghariyal, Chinkara, Sambar, Nilgai, Chital, Hyena, Wolf, Wild Boar, Bar-headed Goose, Brown Hawk Owl, Booted Eagle, Black-bellied Tern, River Tern, Black Ibis, Jungle Babbler, fishing cats and White Wagtail-to endless varieties of monkeys, reptiles including the python, and a profusion of 250 species of birds which includes the state bird Indian Sarus.
"Gangetic dolphins are the lifeline of Gangetic basin. If the dolphin number increases, it is a sign of pollution-free river. If the number decreases, it is a sign of increasing pollution in the river," informed Neeraj Kumar, deputy conservator of forest, National Chambal Sanctuary, Agra.
Not very long ago, a dead dolphin was recovered from the banks of Chambal in Etawah. The forest department officials said the dolphin had died due to heat, Dr Chauhan said. Though the forest department started a probe into the incident, the final conclusion was reached without proper investigations, he claimed.
Another wildlife enthusiast informed that Gangetic dolphins had been included in the Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, "thereby affording them the highest degree of protection".

Dredging, illegal fishing hurting dolphin numbers

Faiz Rahman Siddiqui, TNN | May 17, 2013, 11.35 AM IST

KANPUR: A major stretch of Yamuna river between Panchnada and Sangam (Allahabad), considered a suitable habitat for highly endangered Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica), today faces numerous problems.

Rampant use of giant-size dredgers to procure water for irrigation purposes besides illegal fishing, haphazard sand mining, is posing a serious threat to aquatic life particularly Gangetic Dolphin in Yamuna river in and around Hamirpur district. However, the authorities concerned are totally oblivious to the situation and yet to take action against those responsible.

River Yamuna is the largest tributary of river Ganges in northern India. Originating from Yamunotri Glacier at a height of 6,387 metres, it travels a total length of 1,376 kilometers (855 miles) and has a drainage area of 366,223 sq km (40.2% of the entire Ganges Basin),

before merging with the Ganga at Triveni Sangam, Allahabad.

Experts said the survey during monsoon registered maximum sightings of dolphins in river Yamuna between Panchnada in Etawah upto Sangam in Allahabad, approximately 400 kms stretch out of the total course of the river.

Environmentalists are worried over the rampant use of dredgers by the district irrigation department, which has led to acute water scarcity in the river, posing serious threat to aquatic animals, particularly the Gangetic Dolphin.

The major points where dredgers are being installed include Pathewara, Merapur and Gola Ka Dera areas.

Sitaram Taigor, project co-coordinator, PEACE Institute Charitable Trust, who works for the conservation of national aquatic animal in the region, told TOI that the extraction and diversion of water and fishing is disrupting the Yamuna's water flow, polluting and fragmenting its aquatic ecosystem.

Farmers are happy that they are getting enough water from the river through dredgers but the practice is killing the Gangetic Dolphin and other aquatic species. There are some points where one can easily walk across the knee-deep waters of the Yamuna. "Such type of activities will only reduce the water level of the river by another foot by the end of May," he said.

However, as per the findings, Gangetic Dolphin, India's national aquatic animal, need at least 266.42 m3/sec flow and 7m deep waters for its survival. "Such instances, wherein dolphins inadvertently reached shallow waters while chasing fish or got stuck on the banks in the sand-bed, are often reported in the region," he informed.

"It is high time the authorities should come forward to conserve this highly endangered aquatic animal," said another wildlife expert.

As April and May are considered as peak months for fishing, the local contractors hire professional fishermen from as far as Bihar and West Bengal for fishing in Yamuna river.

He said that using illegal and destructive techniques for fishing was endangering the aquatic life of the river. "A sighting of two adults and one juvenile Dolphins were recorded earlier at the confluence of Yamuna and Betwa rivers," he said.

Also, juvenile dolphins are particularly susceptible to getting trapped in fishing nets. During a survey conducted by volunteers of PEACE Institute Charitable Trust, a total number of 13 boats were observed in between Pathewara and Hamirpur stretch. A team of professional fishermen with 7 boats and sophisticated fishing nets were spotted near Raghopur village. Apart from trapping fishes, the fishermen entangle juvenile dolphins particularly in the breeding season i.e. between March and April months.

Beside these areas, there are dozen other secret locations where fishermen from Bihar and West Bengal reportedly erect their hutments every year from January till June on the banks of the river for fishing.

Teerath, a local told TOI that the techniques used by the fishermen are extremely brutal and they often kill juvenile dolphins particularly in the breeding season.

When asked whether the authorities were visiting the spots to bar fishermen from illegal fishing, he replied that none of the district officials have so far visited the area to fine those who are involved in this illegal activity. Meanwhile, concerned over the dwindling numbers of Gangetic dolphins, District Forest officer, Hamirpur DK Singh said, "The department has launched a concerted campaign to ensure protection of the aquatic animal. He urged people to apprise the department if they come across cases of fishing or poaching of dolphins."

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The population of the endangered Gangetic Dolphin in India today is only about 2,000 individuals spread over the rivers of the Gangetic basin and the Brahmaputra river system.

Gangetic dolphins, India's national aquatic animal, are killed at an alarming rate by poachers for their flesh as well as oil, which is used as an ointment and considered an aphrodisiac. Their carcasses are regularly found on the river banks.

The Gangetic river dolphin is one of the four freshwater dolphin species in the world. The other three are found in the Yangtze river in China, the Indus river in Pakistan and the Amazon river in South America.

The mammal is covered under the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act and has been declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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