Wildlife Dept, WWF all set to begin ‘gharial’ survey
Aman Sood
Patiala, December 24
Worried about the gharials (an endangered Indian species of crocodiles) in state rivers, which might have been washed away by fast currents during the recent floods, the state will now begin a one-month exercise to trace them. Following heavy floods that led to heavy silt deposits in the Harike Wetland zone caused by flooding in Beas and Sutlej rivers, some of the gharials had swept into adjacent Pakistan.
Species was reintroduced in Beas in 2017
- The gharial hatchlings were brought to the state from Morena, Madhya Pradesh, and a total of 47 gharials were reintroduced in the Beas in 2017, with one death due to respiratory failure
- The 46 gharials are spread all across the river while one of them has ventured 120 km upstream from its release site to reach Talwara in Hoshiarpur district
- The project has been a success despite threats like increasing pollution in rivers, sand mining, habitat destruction, increasing anthropogenic pressures, molasses spillage in 2018 which depleted prey base for gharial, restricted water flow on several occasions and three extreme floods
Beginning January, Department of Forests and Wildlife Preservation in Punjab, in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) India, is set to launch an extensive month-long gharial survey.
The survey will specifically target the stretches of Beas, Sutlej, and two canals — Rajasthan and Ferozepur feeder — originating from Harike Headworks.
This ambitious initiative aims to meticulously assess the current distribution and dispersal of the reintroduced gharial population in the aftermath of this year’s post-monsoon season.
Experts said the gharials shifted from major flooded channels to side channels and creeks of the rivers. “This behaviour, indicative of the species’ resilience, suggests a proactive response to mitigate potential displacement from their regular habitats,” an expert said.
“The survey team will comprise skilled individuals from various wildlife divisions, including Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur, and Phillaur, Department of Forests and Wildlife Preservation, Punjab, and WWF India,” said Gitanjali Kanwar, Senior Coordinator, Aquatic Biodiversity, WWF India.
Talking to The Tribune, Chief Wildlife Warden (Punjab) Dharmindra Sharma said this monsoon season was extraordinarily wet with a lot of torrential rains and even cloud bursts upstream of major rivers. Consequently, there were floods or flood like conditions all across the state. “We also got a report about one of our gharials getting washed away and appearing in Pakistan,” said Sharma.
