Slow progress of Project Dolphin

Despite being highlighted during various occasions, the Project Dolphin has still not progressed enough.

Context

Despite being highlighted during various occasions, the Project Dolphin has still not progressed enough.

Project Dolphin is one of the activities planned under Arth Ganga, an ambitious inter-ministerial initiative of the government, which was approved at the first meeting of the NGC in 2019.
The project focuses on the conservation of both river and sea dolphins.

The Gangetic river system is home to a vast variety of aquatic life, including the Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica).
The Gangetic dolphin is one of five species of river dolphin found around the world.
- The Ganges river dolphin was officially discovered in 1801.
It is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems.
They feed majorly on fish, but are blind.
These dolphins have a highly developed ‘sonar system’ that helps them look for fish even in murky waters.
They emit an ultrasonic sound, which reaches the prey.
- Listening to the sound waves that return, the dolphins form an image in its mind and subsequently catch hold of their prey.
In 2009, the government declared Ganges river dolphin a national aquatic animal.
It is a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The Ganges river dolphin is found in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Bangladesh and India.
A few individuals survive in Nepal in the Karnali River and possibly the Sapta Kosi River.