Brahmaputra River Dolphin

In India, Dolphins are found in the river systems of Ganga and Brahmaputra. It is also found in the Meghna river of Bangladesh and the Karnaphuli river of Nepal. The population of such Dolphins in the Brahmaputra River is estimated to be about 300. The Gangetic Dolphins found in India is one of the 5 species of dolphins found globally.

Key Points for UPSC Prelims

• These Dolphins mainly feed on fishes found along the river bottom and use echolocation technique to capture its prey, since it is blind.
• Brahmaputra river dolphins play a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance of the freshwater ecosystem.
• This species is endangered and is the most threatened group among freshwater species. One of the major threats to the river dolphins is excessive Damming for irrigation, electricity, and water storage.
• In the year 2008, the Ganges dolphin was designated as Assam’s State Aquatic Animal and was later designated as the National Aquatic Animal of India in the year 2009.

Project Dolphin

After the success of Project Tiger, Prime Minister Modi announced to launch “Project Dolphin” on August 15 for saving the Gangetic Dolphins. The in-principle approval to the project was given in December 2019 in the National Ganga Council (NGC) meeting.

Exploring Kaziranga on boats

The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve authorities have a started boat safari recently at Bhomoraguri. The safari has been started after the addition of an area of 3,053 hectares to the park. Some unutilized buildings that were constructed in the 1980s for work on the Kalia Bhomora Bridge across the river Brahmaputra have been converted to a Boat office. The authorities have also renovated an abandoned ferry. Bhomoraguri is around 30 kilometers from Kaziranga’s westernmost range Burapahar.