Blind dolphin’s body fished out from Indus River

The five-and-a-half-foot long male died 15 to 20 days ago.

SUKKUR:

The body of an adult male dolphin, which died 15 to 20 days ago, was fished out from the Indus River on Wednesday afternoon, near Sukkur Barrage Gate No. 50.

The dolphin weighed nearly 50 kilogrammes and the body was five-and-a-half-foot long, according to the Sukkur wildlife department deputy conservator, Taj Mohammad Shaikh.

His wildlife team arrived at the site to see the dolphin’s body floating along the river. The body was taken out of the water but the cause of death has yet to be ascertained since no wounds were found.

Shaikh said that the increasing pollution in the water could be one of the factors leading to the dolphin’s death. “Hot water from the Guddu Thermal Power Station and the Engro food plant, which are located near Rohri, is released into the river and contaminates the water,” he explained.

There are a total of 947 Indus dolphins in Sindh, according to a survey conducted in April 2011. Nearly 918 dolphins live in the waters between Guddu and Sukkur barrages, while only 29 are found between Sukkur and Kotri barrages.

The number of dolphins has increased in the last five years because the last survey conducted in 2006 shows a total of 821 dolphins. However, the deputy conservator was not satisfied with the slight increase. “Water pollution is still harming the rare species, which otherwise would have multiplied at a faster rate,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2011.