Bhagalpur: Preparations have begun to remove sand and silt accumulated in the Ganga near Bhagalpur following this year’s floods and damage to embankments. The proposed dredging is aimed at improving the flow of the river and reducing the risk of flooding and erosion, but environmentalists and scientists have raised concerns over its possible impact on the Gangetic dolphin and other aquatic species.
The stretch of the Ganga from Sultanganj to Kahalgaon is protected as the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary. Environmentalists have therefore questioned the ecological impact of large-scale dredging in the area.
Concerns Over Dolphin Habitat
Dredging would bring heavy machinery and associated noise into the river environment. Gangetic dolphins rely heavily on sound waves and echolocation for navigation and hunting, and environmentalists fear that high levels of machine noise could disturb and stress them.
Another concern is increased turbidity caused by removing silt from the riverbed. Environmentalists say excessive disturbance of the riverbed could affect water quality and aquatic organisms.
The sand and silt deposits on the riverbed also provide habitats for several aquatic organisms and small fish, which form an important part of the dolphin’s food base. Large-scale dredging could therefore affect the wider aquatic food chain.
Earlier Dredging Raises Questions
According to people familiar with the issue, a previous dredging experiment in Rani Diara in Kahalgaon-Pirpainti was followed by changes in the river’s flow and significant erosion. The work was subsequently stopped following opposition from local villagers.
Environmentalists argue that rivers naturally attempt to refill areas from which sediment has been removed. They therefore question whether dredging alone can provide a permanent solution to flooding and erosion.
Environmentalists Seek Scientific Assessment
Environmentalist Deepak Kumar has questioned whether adequate scientific assessment of the impact on dolphin conservation and changes in the river’s course has been carried out before the proposed dredging.
According to environmental concerns raised over the project, dredging may provide immediate flood relief in a particular area, but without proper river management it could create new erosion risks along other stretches.
Environmentalists have called for the proposed work to be considered as part of a broader river-management plan that takes the habitat and conservation needs of Gangetic dolphins into account, rather than treating the issue solely as a silt-removal exercise.
