Preservation of Ganges dolphin must to save the national river

When one mentions about Ganges river dolphins to a layman, he/she might seem confused. Tigers, lions yes…but dolphins in the Ganga are sure to raise many eyebrows.

Probably, many people living alongside the mighty Ganga might have seen these dolphins; however, even they may not be aware about its importance in maintaining the ecosystem of the national river.

What makes the freshwater Ganges river dolphin or Platanista gangetica, so special is that it is an indicator species for the riverine ecosystem just like the tiger is for the forest ecosystem.

Since the dolphin is at the apex of the riverine food chain, its presence in adequate numbers indicates the strength of the river biodiversity and keeps the population of other river animals, which are lower in the food chain, in balance.

Hence conserving this blind mammal is actually conserving the river Ganga. The threats to Ganga and the dolphin are the same: river pollution, construction of dams, sand mining and uncontrolled fishing due to which dolphins get accidentally caught in the nets.

Therefore, it is a tragedy that such a vital species does not occupy a prominent position in the public mind, even though it is classified as endangered under the IUCN Red List. In 1982, the population of dolphins in India was estimated to be between 4,000 and 5,000 individuals. Now, it is estimated to be around 1200-1800.

Conservationists have been working extensively to protect the river dolphin from the aforementioned dangers. Riverside school children and river dependent communities like fishermen are being educated about the importance of the dolphin. Villagers are being taught and motivated to use cotton and jute nets instead of nylon nets, utilisation of bio-pesticides instead of chemical ones is being propagated, and trapped dolphins are being trans-located from canals to safer locations in rivers.

Though these steps are commendable, they are still not well-known amongst the general public, with the exception of the communities involved. If the public is kept in the loop about this massive project, then the actions of the government and the NGOs could receive public sympathy and feedback.

WWF correctly showed the way ahead by involving religious preachers in the program to conserve the dolphin.

Prime minister Narendra Modi has recurrently emphasised on the need to protect the holy river. Uttar Pradesh, the state which has about 1263 river dolphins, got a new government recently and chief minister Yogi Adityanath has vowed to purify the river.

Under the Ganga Action Plan, CM Adityanath announced that coordination meetings will be held with block development heads, local panchayat members, and village heads of districts along the river. The decision to shift out the tanneries which were on the river banks of Kanpur and Kannauj shows the seriousness with which the new government in Uttar Pradesh is considering the issue.

The government has taken some commendable steps to connect the preservation of the holy river with the preservation of the dolphin. For the first time, a complete river wide survey is being undertaken under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) through Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to determine the population of aquatic life, including that of the endangered Ganges dolphin.

WII has been entrusted with a key project by the NMCG to restore the river’s biodiversity.

THE THREATS TO GANGA AND THE DOLPHIN ARE: RIVER POLLUTION, CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS, SAND MINING AND UNCONTROLLED FISHING