Over 6,300 River Dolphins Found in India: Highest in UP:

The government of India claims that nearly 6,327 riverine dolphins exist in the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Indus river systems, as noted in a report released on Monday. This claim comes from the first population estimation of dolphins conducted in the country.

As a fragment of “Project Dolphin,” riverine dolphin population estimates were conducted for the first time across 8 states, these include: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, and Punjab.

According to the report, Uttar Pradesh holds the highest number of dolphins which stands at 2,397, followed by Bihar, Bihar stands at 2,220, while the remaining states have the following counts: West Bengal 815, Assam 635, Jharkhand 162, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh 95, and lastly, Punjab with 3.

The dolphin's main range is the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system and the tributaries in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.

In the Indus river system of India, a small population of Indus river dolphins inhabit the area, sharing this classification with Ganges river dolphins.

As stated in the report submitted to the dolphin conservation program, ‘Population Status of River Dolphin in India’, it contains the estimation of 6,327 Ganges river dolphins along with three Indus river dolphins. The range is between 5,977-6,688 Ganges river dolphins. It has also been reported that the Ganges river dolphin sub-species are ample in regions where the human presence of Ecological footprint is minimal and there is the optimal water depth. And said survey is considered to be among the largest in the world in relation to freshwater. It quotes, “the range of the Ganges river dolphin in the Ganga, Brahmaputra and also Indus river dolphin in the Beas river is included” It is remarkable that the survey estimates itself claims to include 6,317 Ganges river dolphins and three Indus river ones.

Dolphins were expected to prosper in places with an optimal water depth and reduced human interaction. As such, it was Mr. Narendra Modi who announced Project Dolphin with the aim of conserving aquatic ecosystems and dolphins from 14 August 2020. The preservation of river dolphins population is fundamental for conservation efforts with such identification due to their slow growth rate and the fact that they exist in some of the most delicate environments on earth.

It is remarkable that during the survey estimate the population where it was distributed was over 8,000 Km. The survey estimate included eight states, particularly in the vicinity of the Beas river and along the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers and their many tributaries. The survey was conducted between the years 2021 to 2023.

In total during the assessment of the survey number of great importance was 58 rivers. Out of the total 58, 30 were investigated through road tab surveys and 28 were actively investigated using various types of boats in locations that the Ganges river dolphin was reported to have been spotted along with actively rowed using boats.