The Government has kick-started the first-ever across-the-river comprehensive survey in Ganga to estimate the population of aquatic life, including that of the endangered Gangetic doplhin. The species, one of the four freshwater dolphins in the world, was declared India’s National Aquatic Animal in 2009.
The survey will create a baseline scientific data for the Government to take suitable measures to improve quality of the river water, an official from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) said. The NMCG will carry out the exercise through Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), an autonomous institution under Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
The first leg of the census was launched on March 1 from Narora in Uttar Pradesh to Bijnor, covering a distance of nearly 165 km, to establish the numbers of the national aquatic animal.
Counting in the Allahabad to Varanasi stretch (close to 250 km in length) is expected to be launched soon.
A study to figure out the composition of fish species in the 2525-km-long river has been also been launched from Harshil in Uttarakhand.
A specialist in the area, Sandeep Behera, NMCG consultant (Biodiversity Centre), expressed concern at the disappearing Gangetic dolphins from the river stretch in Narora to Kanpur due to pollution.
“The study will, therefore, find out stretches wzhere dolphin is habitating, what are the conditions there and the level of threat the long-snouted species is facing in a particular belt,” he said.
Apart from the dolphins, the number of ghariyals and turtles in the river will also be ascertained after summer sets in fully as their nesting happens then and the counting will continue until October this year, NMCG has said.
Besides the population count, the study will help know distribution pattern of aquatic life in the river, extent of threat level they are facing and their habitat conditions.
“All the surveys carried out in Ganga previously were conducted in bits and pieces or were rapid. This is for the first time a comprehensive and scientific study is being conducted,” Behera said.
It was between October 5 and October 8, 2015, the UP Government under its “My Ganga, My Dolphin” campaign conducted a survey in collaboration with the WWF-India supported by NMCG in river flowing through the State. As many as 1,263 dolphins were sighted in 3350-km stretch of Ganga and its tributaries in the state.
Stretches of Ganga’s tributaries Ghaghra, Rapti, Gandhak and Chambal had recorded an increase in their population whereas Ramsar site Brijghat to Narora recorded a decrease.