October 5 has been designated as National Dolphin Day by the union environment ministry and it will be observed annually starting from this year.

Overview:

• The National Board for Wildlife’s (NBWL) standing committee took this decision to designate October 5 as National Dolphin Day.
• The day will focus on generating awareness as it is an integral part of dolphin conservation including the Gangetic Dolphin.
• People’s participation to conserve Dolphins will also be focused upon on this day.
• Focus will also be given to improving the Ganga and its tributaries’ water quality and flow so that Gangetic dolphins can survive.

Importance of Dolphins

Dolphins act as a perfect indicator of a healthy aquatic ecosystem, thus the conservation of dolphins is of utmost importance. Doing so will not only benefit the survival of the species but will also help the people who are dependent on the aquatic system for their daily livelihood.

About Gangetic Dolphins

The Gangetic dolphin acts as an indicator species. The status of this species provides information on the ecosystem’s overall condition along with information related to the other species that are present in that ecosystem. Gangetic Dolphins have been categorized as endangered species under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List. In 2012 and 2015, the Uttar Pradesh forest department along with WWF- India recorded 1,272 dolphins in the Ganga, Chambal, Yamuna, Betwa, Ken, Sharda, Son, Gahagra, Geruwa, Rapti, and Gandak.

The Gangetic Dolphins are threatened due to water diversion, pollution, habitat fragmentation, etc.