A CORRESPONDENT
BOKO: On Saturday, locals recovered the carcass of a rare, endangered river dolphin (Xihu) from the Mora Kolohi river, near the office of the Samaria Revenue Circle Office in Boko. The decomposed carcass of the endangered dolphin was found floating in the river, which flows right in front of the historic Samaria Satra. Following information from the locals, a team from the Nagarbera River Forest Range arrived at the spot.
While the exact cause of death of the endangered dolphin remains unknown, it has triggered widespread concern and speculation. A section of nature lovers has alleged that the dolphin died due to ongoing sand mining operations in the Mora Kolohi river. They pointed out that dolphins have died in this river previously as well, yet the West Kamrup Forest Division and the Nagarbera River Range Forest Department have remained indifferent. Some locals suspect foul play due to the toxic waste and polluted water discharged from the Chaygaon Industrial Development Centre. However, environmentalists argue against this, noting that if toxic industrial water were the cause, fish and other aquatic life in the area would have perished first.
Another section suspects that the dolphin got trapped and died in fishing nets. However, the Kamrup district administration has already banned fishing from April to July this year to allow for fish breeding. Conscious citizens blame the negligence of the Samaria Revenue Circle Office and the Kamrup district administration, alleging that unscrupulous elements are illegally using nets to fish, hampering fish breeding and directly causing the dolphin’s death. Nature lovers in Boko pointed out that dolphins typically give birth during the summer or rainy season, specifically between May and July, and that if this was a pregnant dolphin, the negligence of the Forest Department and district administration had resulted in the tragic loss of both a rare adult dolphin and its unborn calf.
The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of West Kamrup Forest Division, Subodh Talukdar, stated that the carcass had been sent to Nagarbera for a post-mortem examination, and the exact cause of death would be determined only after receiving the report. He refused to accept that the habitat of this rare species is being destroyed due to sand mining. When questioned about the mining and the death, he offered what locals called an ‘absurd’ reply, suggesting that the death might be due to polluted water from the Chaygaon Industrial Centre—which is located nearly 10–12 kilometers away.
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