Earth Day: Dolphin count tells Ganga’s health story
Telegraph | 17 April 2026
What is the marker of the health of a river? Clear-looking waters? Fresh breeze? Lack of human activity? Apparently, it is the presence of dolphins.
“Dolphins are at the top of the food chain; sensitive to pollution, habitat disruption, and the scarcity of prey. So their presence in an area signals a thriving ecosystem,” said Ruchi Badola, dean, faculty of wildlife sciences, Wildlife Institute of India (WII). She was attending a workshop at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre aimed at conserving the Ganga.
“People think the Ganga is polluted beyond measure, but our surveys have found that in West Bengal alone, at least 40 per cent of the river still supports wildlife, including dolphins,” Badola said.
WII is a Dehradun-based autonomous body under the ministry of environment, forest and climate change. They had organised the event for experts and commoners alike to brainstorm ways for local riverbank communities to shift to sustainable alternative livelihoods and reduce commercial exploitation of the Ganga.
S.A. Hussain, former scientist with WII shared that instead of getting outsiders to clean the river, they were inducting Ganga praharis – guardians of the river – from among locals. “We have praharis from different strata, as everyone is needed to protect the waters. We initially aimed for 250 but got 3,000 of them. But no one will work on an empty stomach, so we are training them and providing livelihoods,” he said.
Saurav Gawan, project scientist, WII, explained that under a project funded by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), they are coming up with Jalaj centres along the riverbanks, right from the source of the Ganga to the Sundarbans. “We are training the local population to set up home stays, grow and sell organic products, conduct safaris to see dolphins, crocodiles and other aquatic animals etc,” he said.
Net result
G. Ashok Kumar, retired IAS and former director-general of NMCG, praised how some Ganga praharis were becoming tourist guides. Sandeep Sundriyal, chief wildlife warden, West Bengal, said the key was to connect people to the river. “Locals already have knowledge, so we must communicate with them. But there has to be a balance — too much tourism and too many safaris can disturb dolphins and other wildlife,” he said.
Debal Ray, principal secretary and head of forest force, West Bengal, explained how the state has at least 850 dolphins. “Deaths due to net entanglement and boat strikes have reduced significantly in recent years, thanks to conservation,” he said. “At river confluences, oxygen levels are higher, attracting more fish — which in turn draws both fishermen and dolphins, making them vulnerable to fishing nets. ‘Ghost nets’, or abandoned torn nets, are another big threat, and we have worked on removing these.”
He added gharials were being bred and released in the Jalangi river and how the Indian river terrapin turtle population, that had once dropped to just 12 in the wild, has now risen to around 400. In the Sundarbans, rising temperatures are leading to more female hatchlings of this species, so we are intervening artificially to maintain balance too,” Ray added.
Homestay not hotel
Participants then broke into groups to discuss how to enhance the sale of their natural products, safaris and homestays.
“A homestay is when the owner lives in the house he lets out, unlike in a hotel. By law, such a home can have a maximum of six rooms or 12 beds,” said one of the participants, Tanmoy Ghosh, owner of Belun Eco Home Stay near Katwa.
The group identified multiple challenges, such as poor phone, internet, and road connectivity. “Guests are irritated even before reaching, and they blame us for it. ‘Apnader rasta eto baje,’ they say, expecting us to build roads,” said Ghosh, adding that 80 per cent of domestic visitors are still not clear about what a homestay is and expect five-star hotel-like service.
“Homestay is like visiting a relative’s house. You can’t ask for biryani or a swimming pool. But you will enjoy traditional local food, culture and nature,” he said. “Tourism is an industry that can generate income without harming nature, as one does not need to fell trees or hunt birds. So all stakeholders must try to develop it.”