Farakka Barrage behind fall in gharial population
UNB
The Farakka Barrage constructed on the Indian part of Ganges River in 1975 has largely contributed to the rapid decline of gharial population in the lower riparian Padma River in Bangladesh, according to experts. After the construction of the Farakka Barrage in India, the Padma riverbed has got silted up, destroying the habitat of gharial, chief conservator of forest Md Yunus Ali told a workshop at Ban Bhaban in the capital yesterday, reports UNB. Bangladesh Forest Department and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Bangladesh jointly arranged the workshop under the World Bank-funded Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection (SRCWP) Project.
Gharial is one of the critically endangered species in Bangladesh. Once the aquatic animal used to thrive in the Padma-Jamuna river systems of Bangladesh, but it has almost disappeared from this geographic range. Citing the findings of a recent study, principal investigator of Gharial Conservation in Bangladesh Project Dr Md Kamrul Hasan said now only 200 gharials are there in the world, with only 10 sighted in Padma and Jamuna rivers in 2015. Yunus Ali said aquatic habitats have turned unhealthy in the country because of poor water flow in the countrys major rivers like Padma and Jamuna. When a major volume of water is diverted from a river, its aquatic habitat is badly affected. And such things have happened in our country, too he said. Stressing the need for taking up the issue of poor water flow of the countrys rivers at bilateral meetings with India, the chief conservator said Bangladesh should take a joint programme with the neighbouring country to protect gharial from extinction.
