More than 6,300 endangered river dolphins found in India's first-ever survey

New Delhi: More than 6,300 riverine dolphins, an endangered species, were found in Indian rivers in a first ever population survey conducted as part of the 'Project Dolphin' initiative. The Ganga, Brahmaputra and Indus river systems are home to 6,327 dolphins, according to a government report published on Monday. 

The survey covered the Ganges and Indus river dolphin and their habitats - the three main Himalayan rivers and tributaries. The Ganges River dolphin, known for its unique features, is found in the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system and its tributaries across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. A small population of the Indus river dolphin, a close relative of the Ganges river dolphin, is found in the Indus River system in India.

The survey estimated 6,327 Ganges river dolphins and three Indus river dolphins. The findings suggest that dolphins thrive in areas with adequate water depth and minimal human disturbances. Monitoring dolphin populations is crucial for conservation, especially for river dolphins, which have a slow growth rate and live in some of the world's most threatened habitats.

The Ganges river dolphins, listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), once thrived in the Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems. But habitat loss, pollution and hunting rapidly declined their numbers. To aid the conservation efforts of these species and other aquatic ecosystems, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Project Dolphin on August 15, 2020.

The survey, conducted from 2021 to 2023, covered an area of over 8000 km across eight states- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam and Punjab. During the survey, 58 rivers were assessed. Of these, 28 rivers were actively surveyed by boat, while 30 were studied through road surveys, focusing on locations where the Ganges river dolphin had been historically reported.