With the unprecedented efforts being made by the governments through the Namami Gange Mission to make Ganga clean and pure, the dolphin population is increasing in the river.
Experts see this as a good omen for the environment as it shows that the dolphins are getting a favorable environment in the Ganga as the water of the river is clean. The number of dolphins is expected to further increase in the coming time.
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According to the Wildlife Institute of India, currently, about 4,000 dolphins are present in the Ganga and its tributaries.
As per an estimate, the number of Gangetic dolphins in Uttar Pradesh is expected to be 2,000, which is more than half of the total number of Gangetic dolphins found in India. In such a situation, the biggest responsibility for their conservation and promotion lies with Uttar Pradesh.
Given this, the UP government implemented a new tourism policy for the state and declared a Dolphin Sanctuary area in Chambal Sanctuary. Today, the presence of about 111 dolphins has been recorded in the Chambal region.
It is a known fact that after the announcement of Project Dolphin by Prime Minister Modi, curiosity about this unique and rare mammal has increased among the common people. The other aspect is that a large population is still unfamiliar with this charismatic megafauna. Therefore, the conservation of Gangetic dolphins will not only create awareness about the conservation of this species but will also strengthen the efforts for the cleanliness and uninterrupted flow of Ganga.
Officials here said on Wednesday that awareness and public participation are the main points in the plans of Namami Gange. On this basis, a target has been set to stabilise the population of Gangetic Dolphins and double the number of more endangered species by the year 2030.
In this exercise, Clean Ganga Mission has succeeded in building better coordination with state governments, experts, NGOs, and local people. Namami Gange Project’s pollution abatement measures, wetland conservation, and flow improvement initiatives have provided a suitable habitat to the Gangetic dolphin population.
It is noteworthy that the river dolphin is a very special mega-fauna of the Indian subcontinent, which is classified as endangered at the global level. It is being conserved in India. Relatively, they are in abundance in Ganga and its Ramganga, Yamuna, Gomti, Ghaghra, Rapti, Son, Gandak, Chambal, and Kosi.
