WWF to carry out bio-monitoring project at Harike

The official revealed that WWF has submitted the project proposal to the Punjab Forest and Wildlife Department. They (WWF) researchers are conducting preliminary surveys as a formal MoU between the Wildlife Department and WWF is likely to be inked soon,” the official informed.

The presence of dolphins shows that the Harike Wetlands ecosystem is very conducive for wildlife species,he added. Besides dolphins,the “specialised research” project would focus on Smooth Indian Otters and seven species of Turtles found at the Harike wetlands,it is learnt.

“This (project) would be of tremendous importance. It would be multi-faceted and the data obtained from the project would not only reveal the increase or decrease in number of earlier reported species but also throw light on any new species or ones on the verge of extinction,” said Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW) Gurbaj Singh. The pollution aspect is also being covered in the project,he added.

Pollution is considered a major threat to the aquatic creatures of Harike. A visit to the confluence of the Satluj and Beas at Harike is enough to show a demarcation between the polluted Satluj river water and the relatively clean Beas river water.

When one of the WWF researchers associated with the preliminary exercise was contacted,he refused to share the details and sought anonymity citing official restraints. But he maintained that the WWF had,indeed,submitted a project proposal with the Punjab Forest and Wildlife Department.

Meanwhile,according to Ferozepur Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) Sanjeev Tiwari,as many as six dolphins have been spotted at Harike. Tiwari said that this winter the presence of a large number of migratory greylag geese suggest that the water quality has improved. “Greylag geese are coming in large numbers this time. It might be due to floods and there has been a rise in water level as well,” Tiwari added.