‘Dolphin Jalaj Safari’launched On ‘Ganga River Dolphin Day’

• 08 Oct 2020

To make make people aware of the biodiversity of Ganga river and importance of conserving India’s national aquatic animal, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has launched Dolphin-based ecotourism programme - Dolphin Jalaj Safari at six locations i.e. Bijnor, Brijghat, Prayagraj and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Kahalgaon (Bihar) and Bandel (West Bengal) along the country’s national river on the occasion of the ‘Ganga River Dolphin Day’.

• India celebrates October 5 every year as the ‘Ganga River Dolphin Day’ as this day Ganga Dolphins were declared national aquatic animals in 2010.

Initiative for Promoting Ecotourism

• 'Ganga Praharis':The 'Ganga Praharis' - trained volunteers from among the local community working for cleanliness of Ganga - will take the tourists at these sites on boat rides to view Dolphin in the Ganga River.
• ‘My Ganga My Dolphin’: A new campaign, ‘My Ganga My Dolphin’, has been launched to conduct Dolphin census in 250 km stretch from Bijnor to Narora.

Other Recent Initiatives on Dolphin

• As announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2020, the Centre is also expected to launch 'Project Dolphin' soon to give a new impetus to the conservation and protection of the species in both riverine and marine ecosystems – the way India has been implementing conservation schemes for tigers and elephants under its dedicated ‘Project Tiger’ and ‘Project Elephant’ programmes.

About Ganga River Dolphin

• The Ganges river dolphin has been recognized by the government of India as its National Aquatic Animal and is the official animal of the Indian city of Guwahati.
• These are fresh water dolphins and are generally blind and catch their prey and moveusing bio-sonar method.
• Conservation Status: Endangered as per IUCN
• Habitat: The Gangetic River Dolphins are found in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli river system of India, Nepal and Bangladesh. In India, these Dolphins are sighted along deep river reaches in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
• Indicator Species of River Ecosystems: Being an indicator species of river ecosystems, Gangetic River Dolphins play a vital role in providing valuable ecosystem services.
• Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bhagalpur District of Bihar is the only Sanctuary for Gangetic dolphins.