Status of ganges dolphin, Platanista gangetica gangetica (Roxburgh, 1801) in the river Buriganga, Dhaka

Abstract

Population abundance and density of the Ganges River Dolphin Platanista gangetica gangetica (Roxburgh, 1801) was studied in the Buriganga River from December 2012 to November 2013.The survey was conducted twice a month. The dolphins were counted directly and applied in transect length of 10.5 km within 15 km stretches of the river. A total of 34 sightings of dolphins were recorded both in individuals and groups. We encountered the dolphins at the rate of 0.48 dolphins per km in the Buriganga River. Highest best-high-low estimate of 12-14-10 individuals were recorded in November 2013. The mean density was 0.38 (SD ±0.37) dolphins/km² with the highest density of dolphin observed also in the month of November, which was 1.14 dolphin/km². Pollution and water traffic were observed to be the major threats to the dolphins.

Present Status of Ganges River DolphinsPlatanista gangetica gangetica(Roxburgh, 1801) in the Turag River, Dhaka, Bangladesh

“…Boats maintained a constant speed range of 7-10 km/h. Survey design followed previous studies conducted by different authors [15,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. The observation team mostly consisted of three researchers.…”

On news reports of the Ganges River dolphin (Platanista gangetica), Bangladesh

“…Baki (2017) recorded 62 sightings in the Turag River from 2012-2023. In addition, two studies reported 29 and 34 sightings in 2003-2004 and 2012-2023 from the river Buriganga, respectively (Alam et al 2015, Alam & Sarker 2012. A single specimen was recorded from a marsh called Chanda Bill at Gopalganj in 2010.…”