Guwahati: Assam, home to the endangered Gangetic river dolphin, locally known as ‘shihu’, has emerged as one of India’s key conservation regions for the species, with around 635 dolphins recorded in the state’s rivers, according to a recently released national survey.
The survey was conducted under Project Dolphin by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
As per record ,the dolphin population in the Brahmaputra, Assam’s main river, remains relatively stable and encouraging. However, the situation in other rivers is a cause for concern. The survey indicates that river dolphins are no longer being recorded in the Barak River, raising concerns about their local extinction.
Scientists have also expressed concern over declining numbers in important tributaries, including the Subansiri and Kulsi rivers.
In a significant development for conservation, satellite tagging has been introduced for river dolphins in the Brahmaputra for the first time. The technology is expected to help researchers monitor their movements, migration routes, habitat ranges and seasonal changes, supporting more effective conservation measures.
Human activities remain a major threat to the species. Illegal sand mining, noise from motorised boats and ferries, accidental entanglement in fishing nets, river pollution and shrinking water levels are damaging their natural habitats and affecting their feeding and breeding patterns. Climate change has added to these challenges.
However, growing public awareness offers hope. Recently, a young resident of Rahmoria in Dibrugarh district rescued a rare dolphin calf stranded in Brahmaputra sand deposits and safely released it back into the river.
Environmentalists stress that, alongside government initiatives, greater awareness among local communities and fishermen is essential to protect Assam’s river dolphins for future generations.