A view of the dried part of Indus River as the water level decreases, on June 29, 2024. SAJJAD ZAIDI VIA NEWSCOM
Editor's note: In this weekly feature China Daily gives voice to Asia and its people. The stories presented come mainly from the Asia News Network (ANN), of which China Daily is among its 20 leading titles.
The endangered Indus River dolphin is more than a victim of environmental destruction — it is a symbol of the profound ecological crisis that threatens us all.
"Dolphins are our friends," said Mai Soomeri, hailing from Guddu town in Pakistan's Sindh Province. "When we are out here fishing or washing dishes, they are always there."
She insisted these creatures were more than just part of the Indus River ecosystem; they were their constant companions, offering playful company and solace.
Soomeri is a member of the Bhulan Dost Programme, a citizen initiative led by World Wide Fund for Nature Pakistan, or WWF-P, to empower fisher communities to protect the Indus River dolphin and its habitat.
The Indus River dolphin, also known as the "blind dolphin" which depends on sound waves for communication, is one of the world's rarest mammals and the second most endangered freshwater river dolphin. In 1969, the species was feared to be on the brink of extinction, with only 100 dolphins remaining by 1972.
According to WWF-P, with decades of collaborative efforts involving fisher communities, forest and wildlife department of Sindh and conservationists, its population has rebounded to 2,000 today.
Yet, the species is listed as "endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list and with 60 percent of these dolphins clustered in Sindh, their survival is far from certain.
"I can't understand why anyone wouldn't wholeheartedly support this cause," Soomeri said.
Toheed Ghani Mahesar, manager of the Food and Agriculture Programme of WWF-P, said the issue transcends the creatures themselves, pointing to a far larger problem.
"These dolphins are vital bioindicators, reflecting the deteriorating health of our rivers and signaling our march toward climate change.
"The steady decline of plants, animals, marine life, and entire ecosystems is a glaring wake-up call. It's our responsibility to raise awareness, sensitize others and play our part in the preservation of the environment," he added.
Mahesar said that to truly grasp the severity of the species' decline, it's crucial to observe their past and present distribution.
Shrinking numbers
Once spanning 3,400 kilometers from the estuary to the Karakoram foothills, the Indus River dolphins are now confined to a fraction of their former territory. Their current range has shrunk by 70 percent, leaving them restricted to less than 1,000 km of the river.
According to Mahesar, the decline in the Indus River dolphin population can be attributed to several factors, beginning with "the construction of irrigation systems, barrages, and dams since the 1930s that has disrupted their natural habitat into isolated fragments — each piece smaller and less inhabitable than the last — preventing them from migrating freely within the river to find food and shelter".
As a result, the dolphins became stranded in the shrinking sections of the river, he said, adding their inability to move across the river also disrupted their breeding patterns, further reducing their numbers, with young dolphins struggling to survive.
A local resident carries an endangered female Indus River dolphin after it died while stranded in the shallow waters in Sukkur, Pakistan, on Dec 27, 2022. SHAHID ALI / AFP
On Jan 13, 2024, a blind dolphin was found dead in the Bago-Jango section of a canal in Sukkur district. It had been forced to flee shallow waters in search of deeper ones as a result of water level reductions caused by annual maintenance at the Guddu and Sukkur barrages.
In a similar vein, the carcass of a female dolphin was found in the Dadu Canal in December 2022, likely a victim of a drop in water levels which trapped it in canals, leaving it vulnerable.
Similar concerns were recently echoed by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr, an environmentalist and founder of the Bulhan Bachao initiative which aims at wildlife conservation through community engagement. In a podcast, he shed light on the controversial plans of the government of Pakistan to divert six canals from the Indus and Sutlej rivers.
The Sutlej River is already dry, he said, adding there isn't sufficient water beyond the Sukkur Barrage built in the 1930s during the British Raj to irrigate the 1.62 million hectares of land targeted by a government scheme.
Instead, the land is being leased to affluent individuals, raising serious concerns about the project's feasibility. If implemented, Zulfikar Jr warned, this plan would lead to mass starvation in Sindh, drain the rivers, and spell disaster for the already endangered Indus River dolphins.
Further, these dolphins often get entangled in fishing gear such as gillnets and longlines set up in the river. "These dolphins are particularly vulnerable in side channels of the Indus River, where fishing activity is more concentrated due to the higher density of fish. As the dolphins navigate these areas, they accidentally get caught in the gear, which results in their injury or death," said Mahesar.
The pollution has contributed to degradation of the dolphin habitat, he added. "The release of industrial effluents and waste from settlements along the river — stemming from human activities, fishing communities, and local industries — has led to significant pollution."
In 2012, then Sindh's Wildlife Minister Daya Ram Essarani revealed that out of the 24 Indus River dolphins found dead, 18 had allegedly died from poisoning. In 2015, it was reported that fishermen had released poisonous chemicals into the Rice and Nara canals to maximize their catch during the closure of the Sukkur Barrage for annual maintenance.
Mahesar said that cultural myths and misconceptions have also led to their depleting population. "One such legend tells of a woman who was transformed into a dolphin after she was cursed by a holy man whom she refused to feed," he said.
According to him, another troubling belief among some communities is that the melon, the rounded region on a dolphin's forehead, which is made of fatty tissue and plays a key role in echolocation, can be used as oil. Echolocation is a process by which animals find their way in the dark by producing sound waves that echo off objects.
He warned that such myths, combined with a general lack of understanding about the dolphin's role in the ecosystem, have led to the exploitation of dolphins for their body parts, compounding the threats they face. "This makes it all the more important to educate communities about the importance of this magnificent creature in our ecosystem," Mahesar said.
Conservation efforts
In light of the growing concerns over the survival of the Indus River dolphin, WWF-P's conservation coordinator Muhammad Imran Malik shared a series of initiatives aimed at protecting them while involving the local communities and fostering international recognition for their habitat.
He mentioned that a unique solution being encouraged by WWF-P involved the use of pingers, small electronic devices that emit sounds that are annoying to dolphins and keeping them 10 to 20 meters away from the fishing nets. "This simple device prevents dolphins from getting entangled in nets while allowing them to feed in their favorite areas," Malik said.
However, the high cost of pingers — around 25,000 Pakistani rupee ($90) each — remains a challenge. Funding for the pingers is a difficult task, but their potential to save dolphins from accidental deaths makes them a worthwhile investment, he added.
"The Bhulan Dost Programme directly engages fisher communities, encouraging them to monitor dolphin population, report habitat conditions, and flag potential threats," Malik said, highlighting the importance of creating a sustainable coexistence model.
"We're also training 200 fishermen to document dolphin sightings and identify threats, strengthening our data collection efforts," Malik noted. This has been made possible by using pictorial representations and images that assist the locals who can't read or write.
While various other efforts are underway, there is a longer way to go.
Dawn, Pakistan
