From our Special Correspondent
Silchar, Nov 12: In the wake of mami Barak festival, just a week left for kick off, among many questions being raised, one is about the protection and preservation of the river dolphins of Barak. This assumes significance in the context of the fact that dolphin has been adopted as the mascot of the grand and eventful festival. It is also worth mentioning that during the last state games held here in March 2016, river dolphin was also chosen as the mascot. Like any other river species, dolphin has also been listed as ‘most endangered’.
In order to make definite moves for the preservation and protection of dolphins of Barak river system, an NGO floated by Dr. Th Pawlen Singha, an educationist, along with some turalists carried out a study to find out the habitat of the dolphins a few years back. Their sustained efforts yielded results as they could identify the habitat at Lalmatidahar near Kashipur, not very far away from this town. The NGO even prepared a project report which was sent to the then higher authority of the forest department for an aquatic sanctuary covering 12 km area from Niyargramdahar to Lalmatidahar.
Apart from Lalmatidahar, another habitat of dolphins has also been spotted at the confluence of Kushiara and Surma, the tributaries of Barak close to Katigorah. Not long ago, media reports came out about the poaching of river dolphin in the Katigorah area near Indo-Bangladesh border from river Surma. Just a day after the information that the meat of a full size dolphin weighing around 30 to 35 kg was being openly sold in the market of Rajartilla village, the forest department of Kalain range filed FIR with the police. The person or persons involved in the crime disappeared from the scene. After prelimiry investigation involving the forest, police and fishery departments, it came to light that the person involved in the killing of dolphin is from the other side of the border fencing.
According to knowledgeable circles, often during high floods in the areas where river Surma and Kushiara meet, dolphins make their presence felt, making themselves easy target of the anti socials. The three-pronged investigation by the departments interrogated those who had seen the meat of dolphin being sold in the market.
On the basis of these inputs, the forest and police department on their trail could detain one person. It was revealed that the dolphin was carried through the BSF check gate of Harigar, raising question about the role of the border force. The investigation under pressure from concerned citizens was intensified which brought in the scene DFO of Karimganj Firdous Ahmed and his team. The statements of four persons were recorded. The team was joined by assistant conservator of forest, Karimganj and the range officer of Kalain, Sadat Ali, and forest personnel Dipak Chakraborty who led a team of forest guards assisted by the Assam Police Bn.
After day long search of the possible areas, besides taking into detention one person, the team could gather vital information about how river dolphins, almost extinct from river Barak, have been caught in the nets by the fishermen. How many of them have been trapped and killed for extracting meat and its most costly oil is difficult to say, the river side residents said. Since the killing of dolphin and selling of its meat was posted on social media by a person, holding the endangered species in hand, it came to light. But, sensing trouble for himself, the picture was removed from the social media site. Though the posting went viral making it easy for the forest department and the police to b the culprit or culprits, no follow up action was taken, allowing enough elbow room to them to remain untraced.
It is to be noted that the dolphin found in river Barak is identified as Gangetic dolphin which was declared India’s tiol aquatic animal in 2009, and the government approved a tiol Dolphin Action Plan in 2010 to save the highly endangered freshwater mammal. What has happened since then? The answer is nothing. It is also relevant to say that after the extinction of the Yangtze dolphin, the Ganga dolphin is one of only three freshwater dolphins left in the world. A comparative study with 1982 will substantiate it when the population was counted around 4,500.
There may be around 600 more left in Bangladesh, and a few in Nepal, all part of the same basin. In Bhutan, the fourth country in the basin, the Ganga dolphin has not been seen for many years. The other freshwater dolphins are the Amazon. Only the Amazon species seem to be doing well. A recent survey conducted by WWF-India and its partners in the entire distribution range in the Ganga and Brahmaputra river system in an area of around 6000 km identified fewer than 2000 individuals in India.
According to WWF-India CEO Ravi Singh, in the Ganges as a whole, the river dolphin population is declining. Union Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Balyan on March 15, 2016 stated in the Parliament, “The population of Gangetic dolphins has declined considerably and they are on the verge of extinction.” In view of the facts stated above, what concrete and definite steps are going to be taken by the state government for the protection and preservation of the endangered species.