(Commonwealth) _ Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, has formally opened the “world’s longest river cruise” from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The luxurious cruise would span 51 days, traveling 3,200 kilometers from Dhaka, Bangladesh, to Dibrugarh, Assam, through 27 river systems. The three-deck MV Ganga Vilas, with 18 suites, is the newest endeavor in the government’s promotion of cruise tourism in India. Modi lauded the Ganges cruise sector as a “landmark event” that will usher in a new era of tourism in India.
However, environmentalists and conservationists fear that the increase in excursions would have a long-term impact on the Ganges River dolphin’s habitat (Platanista gangetica). The MV Ganga Vilas will travel via Kaithi hamlet, 30 kilometers from Varanasi, at the junction of the Ganges and Gomti Rivers, where deep water and slower currents provide a safe home for the endangered dolphin. Wildlife authorities discovered a pod with calves in October and estimated the number of dolphins in the vicinity to be 35 to 39. The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bihar is one of several protected cetacean habitats along the cruise route.
Platanista gangetica is one of two freshwater dolphin species found in South Asia, the other being Platanista minor, sometimes known as the Indus River dolphin, which may be found in Pakistan and the Beas River in north India. The Ganges River dolphin is threatened by a variety of factors, including water pollution.
Gangetic dolphins are “nearly blind,” utilizing echolocation sounds to navigate muddy seas and seek for food. “Underwater noise pollution owing to increased traffic of cruise, cargo vessels, and mechanised boats interferes with the echolocation clicks, making their very life hard,” said Jagdish Krishnaswamy, an ecohydrologist at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in Bangalore.
Antara cruises marketing director Kashif Siddiqui stated that the MV Ganga Vilas cruise was so successful that itineraries were sold out for the next two years. “We are adhering to all environmental measures and regulatory regulations,” he stated. According to the cruise’s promotional materials, “the Ganga Vilas includes pollution protection and noise control technology to honor the historic rivers passed through.”
2019 research conducted by Krishnaswamy and three other specialists, which used cetacean and porpoise detecting devices to log the echolocation clicks, discovered significant changes in the acoustic responses of Gangetic dolphins as a result of excessive underwater noise caused by motorized vehicles. Chronic noise exposure increased stress, inducing exhaustion, and altered foraging behavior, forcing them to feed more to compensate for energy loss. Disorientation caused by extended reaction to underwater noise increased the chance of colliding with vessels and being entangled with propeller blades, which might result in damage or death. There are also concerns about excessive vibrations and noise from dredging works to maintain minimum depths for cruise ships on the NW-1 Ganges route.
The Inland Waterways Authority of India has conducted an environmental evaluation that suggests that the behavioural changes in fish, dolphins and turtles caused by dredging noise are unlikely to be significant. This is because these creatures tend to relocate away from the dredging areas, thereby minimizing any potential impact on their behaviour. However, Sunil Kumar Chaudhary, a member of the Bihar State Ganga rejuvenation, conservation, and management committee, has expressed concern about the impact of dredging on the river landscape, particularly for dolphins. He has noted that the river landscape is constrained, meaning that the dolphins have limited space to move during dredging work. This could potentially lead to increased stress and behavioural changes, which may have a more significant impact on these creatures than the environmental evaluation suggests. Therefore, it is important to carefully consider the potential impact of dredging on the river ecosystem and to take appropriate measures to mitigate any negative effects.
