|
|
|
|
 |
 |
  
|
wildlife Rawal
Lake by morning
Indus Blind Dolphin faces the threat of 'genocide' because Indus River faces record water shortage By Yasir Babbar Indus Blind Dolphin, a
protected species, is fighting a war of survival in the Indus River because
of record water shortage. The required water level in the reserve stretch of
210 kilometres for blind dolphin is at least 40 thousand cusecs. Only 10 to
15 thousand cusecs of water is currently available which makes breeding
extremely difficult for the world renowned
Indus Blind Dolphin. It was after a research of about 40 years that the wildlife department found these dolphins between the Indus River's Guddu and Sukkur Barrage area. At present there are 602 dolphins surviving in this stretch of the River Indus, declared as Indus Dolphin Reserve by the Sindh Wildlife Department way back in 1974. There is an Indus Dolphin Centre, established for its monitoring and safety, by the same department a few years ago. Unfortunately, the authorities of Wildlife, Irrigation and IRSA have not made any more efforts to make the Indus Blind Dolphin (Andhi Bulhan) secure. The Indus Blind Dolphin (Platanista
minor) is one of the world's rarest mammals and the second most endangered
freshwater river dolphin. Endemic only to Pakistan, it is a close relative of
Platanista Gangatica, which is found in India in the Brahmaputra and Ganga
rivers. Historically, the Indus Blind Dolphin was found in abundance in the
Indus River and its tributaries, mainly from the Himalayan Actually, the construction of dams and barrages on the Indus River has changed the distribution and movement of the Indus Dolphin and divided its current population into four or five subpopulations that exist in isolated pockets between these barrages and dams. The centre of abundance for the Indus Dolphin is currently in the area of Sindh. Originally Platanista Indi was an inhabitant of the sea when the vast Indian subcontinent was submerged under the Tethys sea during the Eocene geological period. But as the land level rose and the sea dried up, the dolphins headed to adapt themselves to the new habitat provided by the turbid waters of the river. Adapting to the vastly changed environment cost them the loss of their sight. However, nature compensated the animal with the development of a perfect echolocation or sonar system. Thus, dolphins are able to navigate in the fierce current, find food and identify objects in the turbid waters of the river. In view of the acute
scarcity of water in the reserve area in Indus River and the consequent An environmentalist Nasir Ali Panhwar from IUCN told TNS that Indus Blind Dolphin is a typical fresh water mammal. The body is smooth, hairless, fish-shaped and pinkish gray in colour. The skin is devoid of mucous secretions and so delicate that it can be easily cut with a slight touch. He added that Dolphin has broad flippers and a long slender beak, which is comparatively shorter in the male than in the females. A fully grown, mature animal weighs between 100-120 kg and has a body length of about 170-176 cm and new born dolphins weighs 2-3kg and are 30-36cm in length. The animal breathes through a blow-hole located on the top of the head, which is directly connected to the lungs. Though virtually blind dolphin locates and identifies objects and prey by using a well-developed sonar system. These animals prefer to
live in groups near anchored boats and at the mouths of rivers and He also told that Dolphins spend little time sleeping and mostly keep on the move in search of food. Adults surface every one to three minutes and calves 30-45 seconds to breathe through the blow-whole. About the reproduction of Indus Blind Dolphins another environmentalist Amar Gurirro told TNS that the gestation period is about 11-12 months. After mating in April and May, breeding takes place in April-May in of the following year. He explained that Dolphins give birth to calves in shallow water no deeper than 0.5-1.5 meters, where water current is gentle. It is an observation by the experts that the birth process is rapid and the baby slips easily through the birth canal, tail first. The entire birth process takes place under the water. As soon as the baby is born, the mother quickly escorts the calf to the water surface to breathe deeply for the first time in air. The mother supports her baby with their flipper for about one and a half month and then releases the baby for the independent life like other baby dolphins. Amar Gurirro told TNS that
the Indus Blind Dolphin swims very fast to catch live fish. It holds the About the Dolphin a local fisherman Abdullah Mallah said while talking to TNS: "We used to catch fish in Indus River on a regular basis for many years. During this period we used to see dolphins in Indus River here in Sukkur barrage. He told that once a dolphin was caught in the net. When we saw, it was already dead. At that moment we were very disturbed because it was bad omen. I and my cousin Ali Sher also a fisherman buried the body of dolphin in the open land quite far from our homes." About the capture of dolphins by fishermen, the deputy conservator Hussain Bux Bhaagat told TNS that fishermen are illiterate so they don't know about the significance of dolphins world wide. "We have charged such fishermen with fines etc and such incidents have not happened in recent times. We have extend the security system in Dolphin reserve zone."
Rawal Lake by morning An early breakfast at the Rawal Lake View Park is just what your doctor would recommend to shoo the tensions away Try to get me up any morning at 6 on a lovely March day and sell me the idea of getting into a car to visit a lake, I would probably ask you to go visit Timbaktoo any sooner. What can be better than the warmth of your bed on a lovely chilly spring morning? Before you are quick to answer that, try visiting the new Rawal Lake View Park in the morning close to dawn. The Park is one of the
initiatives of CDA and has preserved an amazing view point of the Rawal However the area had been largely unplanned and growing on its own. It was also used as a cleaning area for public transport buses and vans. Not a pretty sight! So when the CDA started building a park and landscaping here, everyone watched on skeptically. We, the people of Islamabad, did not want the natural beauty of the area to be plundered with, but we were not too happy with the state of things, as they stood then. The results of the effort have however been amazing. There are beautiful benches
to sit on, a lovely road leading up to the lake, beautiful greenery to feast
your eyes on, and a playing area for children. There are also covered areas
for families to have picnic inside. And of course, no park is complete
without its own eating area. There is a The reason I recommend an early morning visit to the park, is because you can really have the entire area to yourself. As close as you can get to the royal pleasure of having your own private rolling lawns, and lakes (minions you have to bring on your own!). There are no prying eyes to scrutinise your every movement, no sneaky comments, no crying children and definitely no yawning uncles left on the benches by their families. Rawal lake, the view of a rising sun and your own cup of tea. The experience is definitely worth leaving your bed a few hours early. I recommend packing a little picnic basket, with some coffee/tea, sandwiches and your early morning paper. The only other people you will find at the lake that early are ardent fishermen. If you have children with you, they will love the playing area and keep themselves amused and busy. The park is extremely clean and well-manned to pick the garbage littered by the visitors. What is really sad to
observe, however, is that even though this area is newly built, it's already Plundering seems to have become a favourite national sport, right next to eating and procreating. Over all, an early breakfast at the Rawal Lake View Park, is just what your doctor would recommend to shoo the tensions of weekdays away. So get up already and make that trip, before Sunny Boy reaches there before you and sprays the lovely bench you wanted to sit on, a neon green.
|
|
foothills (NWFP) to the delta region (Sindh) about a century ago. Its range
was approximately 3,500 km of Indus River from upstream Attock to downstream
delta region and the Sutlej, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum rivers. At present, the
potentially available habitat has shrunk to less than 900 km -- mainly
between Jinnah to Sukkur barrage.
danger to the protected genus, TNS spoke to the Deputy conservator Wildlife
Sukkur region Hussein Bux Bhaagat. "The water level in Indus River has
been going down since 2005 and we are aware that Indus Blind Dolphin cannot
survive in low level of water. Therefore I made many correspondences with the
authorities of IRSA and irrigation departments but there is no
response." Bhaagat told that Indus Blind Dolphins can swim actively only
when the water level is high and move freely up and down through the water
currents in search of food .He appealed to the authorities of irrigation and
IRSA to not create water shortage in Indus Dolphin Reserve between Guddu and
Sukkur Barrages to save the species.
inundated canals. But the chances of fish disturbance are much more due to
the frequent movements of boats. Nasir Panhwar explained that there are about
//17 dolphin shoals between Guddu and Sukkur barrages. "Dolphins don't
stay permanently at a particular place but move from one place to another in
search of food. At night, the dolphins come close to the fishing nets and
boats to catch small fish, while during the day they prefer to stay at a
distance from the boats because of human activity."
fish in its jaws at a right-angle to the beak, and swallows the whole fish,
head first. During April and May when breeding takes place, dolphins are seen
in shallow water. It is obvious that the mother dolphins easily find their
prey by taking refuge in brush wood and other growth to feed their babies and
themselves.
Lake. The entrance is after the Naval Sailing Club on the road leading
towards Murree. Even before the park was made, this area was popular for a
stroll, a quiet cup of tea, or a famous plate of French fries. The more
adventurous and brave also ventured the area at night on full moon nights for
a view over the lake.
separate food court of sorts to feast
your tummies after a hearty walk.
been marked by the likes of Ajmal Khan who visited in Feb 2008, Amina who
loves Sallu (the arrow through the bleeding heart sort) or Naughty boy who
wants girls to call him at 98887677. I think rather than checking people for
ammunition, they should be dis-armed from more dangerous materials like
markers and pens before they enter the park. They should also be provided
with little spit-bags, to direct their efforts towards and given directions
to the nearest garbage can preferably with bright lights leading to the
place, lest they get lost on the way.