Guwahati, Nov 22 (PTI): Construction of large dams on the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, being opposed by many quarters, is also posing a serious threat to river Dolphins which are on the verge of extinction.
Noted dolphin expert Dr Abdul Wakid said the Brahmaputra river system in Assam is considered as one of the last refuges of the species unimpeded by dams in its sea-bound flow compared to the Ganga.
"But the situation will change once the dams come up on the river's tributaries and forerunners as proposed in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya," Wakid, also the head of Aaranyak's Gangetic Dolphin Research and Conservation Programme, said.
In a recent survey conducted in the entire Brahmaputra river system, a team, led by Wakid, recorded the existence of 264 dolphins. Of them, 212 dolphins are in the Brahmaputra mainstream, 29 dolphins in Kulsi river and 23 in Subansiri river.
Guwahati, Nov 22 (PTI): Construction of large dams on the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, being opposed by many quarters, is also posing a serious threat to river Dolphins which are on the verge of extinction.
Noted dolphin expert Dr Abdul Wakid said the Brahmaputra river system in Assam is considered as one of the last refuges of the species unimpeded by dams in its sea-bound flow compared to the Ganga.
"But the situation will change once the dams come up on the river's tributaries and forerunners as proposed in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya," Wakid, also the head of Aaranyak's Gangetic Dolphin Research and Conservation Programme, said.
In a recent survey conducted in the entire Brahmaputra river system, a team, led by Wakid, recorded the existence of 264 dolphins. Of them, 212 dolphins are in the Brahmaputra mainstream, 29 dolphins in Kulsi river and 23 in Subansiri river.
