Staff Reporter
Guwahati: A first-ever range-wide population assessment of river dolphins estimated a total population of 635 Gangetic river dolphins in Assam's rivers. A Comprehensive Action Plan (2022-2047) has been developed by the Government of India, under which the roles of various stakeholders have been identified for the conservation of river dolphins and aquatic habitats, apart from other measures.
This was revealed in the Rajya Sabha today by the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh, in reply to a question posed by Assam MP Terash Gowalla.
The Ganges river dolphin is officially classified as endangered in Assam and across India. Locally known as "Xihu" or "Sihu", it is India's National Aquatic Animal and the Official Aquatic Animal of Assam.
The Union Minister said that the Government of India undertook the first-ever range-wide population assessment of river dolphins during 2021-2023 under Project Dolphin. The survey covered the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Beas river systems using a standardised scientific protocol comprising boat-based visual surveys and passive acoustic monitoring. The assessment estimated a population of 6,324 Gangetic river dolphins in India.
In Assam, the survey covered the main stem of the Brahmaputra and its major tributaries, namely the Subansiri, Beki, Kulsi, Kopili and Barak rivers. The assessment estimated a total population of 635 Gangetic river dolphins, comprising 584 dolphins in the main stem of the Brahmaputra and 51 dolphins in its tributaries.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change provides financial assistance to states for conservation, protection and management of wildlife, including river dolphins under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Development of Wildlife Habitats'. The Governing Body of CAMPA approved a project titled "Implementation of the Dolphin Conservation Action Plan: Conservation and Recovery of River Dolphins and their Aquatic Habitats" for financial assistance through National CAMPA, which covers 131 districts across nine states, including the State of Assam. The activities identified under the project include rescue and rehabilitation, capacity building, advanced technology deployment, and multi-species ecological monitoring of aquatic species, the Minister said.
The important measures taken for conservation of the Gangetic dolphin include: (i) A Comprehensive Action Plan (2022-2047), under which the roles of various stakeholders have been identified for conservation of river dolphins and aquatic habitats. (ii) Important dolphin habitats and priority conservation areas have been identified based on the findings of the range-wide assessment for focused management interventions. (iii) Research on dolphin ecology, habitat use, prey availability and anthropogenic threats using modern techniques such as passive acoustic monitoring, environmental DNA (eDNA) and satellite telemetry have been undertaken. (iv) Awareness generation and capacity-building programmes for dolphin conservation involving State Forest Departments, local communities, and fishermen have been undertaken. (v) Scientific and technical support provided to States for conservation of river dolphins and their habitat.
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