KARACHI: Project to study Indus dolphin population
By Bhagwandas
KARACHI, Oct 16: The Sindh government has approved a project to carry out biological as well as ecological studies of the Indus dolphin to find out the causes of slow increase in the population of the unique mammal.
The Sindh wildlife department will start implementing the three-year Rs7-million project this year and studies will try to find out the reasons due to which the population of the Indus dolphin is not increasing rapidly, despite the fact that part of its habitat has been a declared a sanctuary.
Scientifically known as “Platanista minor”, the Indus River dolphin is one of the most threatened fresh-water dolphins and is considered rare. The largest number of Indus dolphins are found in the river between Guddu and Sukkur barrages.
The Indus dolphin is only found in Pakistan and, according to the 2002 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, it has been declared endangered. It is also included in the list of protected species under the Sindh Wildlife Protection Ordinance.
The Indus dolphin has become blind due to the high level of silt in the river water and navigates with the help of its high developed sensing system using sound waves, which is its unique feature.
Habitat of the Indus dolphin previously ranged from Attack in the north to the delta, but owing to construction of various barrages it is found only between Jinnah and Kotri barrages.
The river course between Sukkur and Guddu barrages, where the largest chunk of population resides, was declared a dolphin reserve in 1974, which is a wildlife sanctuary protected under the Sindh Wildlife Protection Act where trapping and killing is banned under the law.
The dolphin reserve is protected under the Ramsar Convention and has been designated as Ramsar Site, which is the highest international status for wetlands from the nature conservation point of view.
Various surveys have revealed that, despite living in the protected area the population of the dolphin has not increased as much as it should have. These findings have worried scientists who are yet to come up with concrete causes affecting the population growth.
The alarming situation has forced the authorities concerned and cetacean specialists to carry out some scientific studies and find out reasons for its stagnant population.
The Sindh wildlife department carries out regular surveys of dolphins with in the reserve for monitoring its population trends. Results of the last five to six years have shown stability in its population, and the data of surveys conducted between 1996 and 1999 shows only an increase of 41 animals — in 1996 there were 458 animals, the number of which increased to 499 in 1999.
However, during a comprehensive survey conducted jointly by the Sindh wildlife department and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) from Jinnah Barrage to Kotri Barrage, the number of dolphins in the dolphin reserve — between the Guddu and Sukkur barrages — was 602.
Scientists and experts, noticing the slow increase in the growth, say that there might be many reasons for the almost stagnant population. Some believe that the growing pollution in the water has affected the animal’s genetic system.
The ecological and biological studies, to be carried out under the project, would help determine the causes which would help scientists and cetacean experts to find out solutions of the problems, pressures and threats to this highly endangered and rare species.
The wildlife sources said that there had been considerable international concern regarding the static situation of the Indus dolphin and international non-governmental organizations working for nature conservation and protection of environment conservation, the IUCN — the World Conservation Union and the WWF, had been approaching the provincial governments to carry out surveys and share the findings so that a comprehensive strategy could be developed.
