About the Gangetic Dolphins
- As per a report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a special species in the Gangetic Plains of India is endangered.
- The Platanista Gangetica is the species of Gangetic Dolphins.
- Discovered in the Nineteenth century (the year 1801) officially, these are one of the five species found in the entire world.
- These dolphins prefer a habitat that is at the confluence of rivers and is deep.
- Their length is up to 2.70 meters in females and 2.12 meters in males.
- Their weight varies from 150 to 170 kilograms.
- Their breeding season lies between January to June.
- Their primary food comes from fishes and invertebrates.
What has brought Gangetic Dolphins suddenly into the limelight?
- The Gangetic Dolphins are freshwater mammals.
- However, the construction of several over-water travel ways has been proposed and is foreseen by the government.
- This would further risk the survival of this crucial specie.
- The habitat of these dolphins is already under acute pressure due to existing barrages and dams, river pollution, illegal poaching et-cetera.
- The National Waterways Act proposed by the Government of India in 2016 covers a major proposed construction of National Waterway 1 (NW1).
- NW1 will be covering the Ganges Water Course.
- This would require heavy development and a residue of extremely deleterious pollution.
- Ultimately, this would wipe off the entire population of Gangetic Dolphins.
Previous Conservation Plans
- Wildlife Protection Act: In 1986, after the announcement of the Ganga Action Plan (1985), the Gangetic Dolphins were considered and included in the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972’s First Schedule. The Vikramshila Ganges Dolphin Sanctuary, Bihar, was established under this step.
- A special Conservation Plan: The Conservation Action Plan for the Gangetic Dolphin or Ganges River Dolphins was devised for 2010-2020. This focused on the threats posed at this specie due to river traffic, irrigation canals, and depletion of prey-base.
- The Provision of National Aquatic Animal: The Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh announced the Gangetic Dolphin as the National Aquatic Animal. This crucial announcement was made on 5th October 2009.
About the Project Dolphin
- The crucial speech of the Independence Day 2020, so narrated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched upon this vital issue.
- This project is a proposed one to contemplate the savior of marine species.
- The Project Dolphin will be reworked onto the similar lines of the Project Tiger.
- This project will be apart from the already existing National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the flagship scheme of Namami Gange.
- The authority in charge of for this project will be the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
Ecological Health
- Environmental Scientists tend to consider aquatic life as an indicator of the health of the river system.
- This system of devising river health or ecological health is relative to the food chain tier, especially when it comes to Gangetic Dolphins.
- The infamous Rhine Action Plan (1987) can suit as an example. Prominent countries like Luxembourg, Netherlands, France, and Switzerland executed this plan.
- Herein, the return of migratory fishes was a methodology used to contemplate the ecological river health.
References
- https://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/priority_species/threatened_species/ganges_river_dolphin/
- https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/project-dolphin-why-it-is-important-to-save-a-declining-river-species-6583544/
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42398-020-00104-2
-Priyal Jain.