Dwindling number of dolphins in the Ganges near Kolkata indicator of poor health of the river

Findings of a WWF India project on dolphins, presented at a meet in Kolkata indicated that the poor health of the Ganges near the city was responsible for Bengal's dwindling dolphin population. Dolphins could be seen from the Howrah bridge even in the 1960s and the decline began with the building of Farakka barrage. Additionally, excessive pollution has compounded the problem.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 16 March 2016.

It was revealed that nearly two-thirds of the Ganga in Bengal, especially the stretch in and near Calcutta, is so polluted that biodiversity has taken a hit. Studies carried out by the Central Pollution Control Board has shown that the river near the city is the most polluted stretch in the country. The main culprits are industrial effluent and domestic waste.
The major interference in dolphin habitat are bridges, dams, soil erosion and excessive pollution. It was also pointed out that dolphins nowadays are hardly seen even in the Sunderbans - this can be considered as a pointer to how pollution in the Ganga in Bengal has affected the biodiversity of the body of water.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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