Fish out of water

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