Dolphins first to gain from project Ganga

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister has already promised a new lease of life for River Ganges, and the first ones to benefit could be its dolphin population, declared endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2010.

Three States – UP, West Bengal and Bihar – along with the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) will launch the first-ever national census of the Platanista Gangetica in the Ganges and its tributaries in October-November this year. Environment ministry officials say this would be the first such national census that will factor in not just the river but also its tributaries spread across these states.

The Ganges dolphin also known as Soons is found in three r iver systems – Brahmaputra and Meghna are the others – and is one among the four species of freshwater dolphins in the world.

"This is the first time we are doing a composite survey covering the whole of the Ganga. We are working on logistical details such as manpower and boats," said BA Khan, principal conservator of forests, Government of Bihar. He said the counting of dolphins had been on for many years now but it has always been restricted to main river while a few organisations carry out separate surveys in some of the tributaries.

Officials involved in the project said nearly 18 NGOs that include eight local NGOs who work with fishermen will help in carrying out the survey that will follow IUCN guidelines.