The government has commenced the second range-wide estimation of riverine and estuarine dolphins in the country from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, today. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change informed that the survey will be conducted in two phases under Project Dolphin.

It said, in the first phase, the survey will cover the main stem of the Ganga from Bijnor to Ganga Sagar and the Indus River, while the second phase will cover Brahmaputra, the tributaries of the Ganga, the Sundarbans, and Odisha.

The Ministry added that the survey will also assess the status of the Indus River Dolphin and Irrawaddy Dolphins, along with habitat condition, threats, and associated conservation-priority fauna. The survey will help update population estimates for the species and support improved conservation planning under Project Dolphin.