Project Dolphin

Which dolphins are covered?

• India’s Environment Ministry says the programme covers river and marine dolphins. See the PIB 2025 review.
• The Ganges river dolphin lives in the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and connected rivers. See The Ganga River.
• The Indus river dolphin has a small Indian population in the Beas.

How does a river dolphin find its way?

• The Ganges dolphin has very limited vision. It can sense light but cannot form clear images.
• It sends out clicks and reads the echoes. This is called echolocation.
• It eats fish and other river animals. Its presence can signal that a river still has food and habitat.
• It is not a full water-quality test. Pollution or low flow can harm a river before dolphin numbers change.

Follow the river threats

• Low or altered flow can shrink the deep channels dolphins use. Barrages can split river habitat and block movement.
• Pollution can harm prey and water quality. Sand mining and boat traffic can disturb key stretches.
• Fishing nets are a direct danger. Dolphins can get trapped underwater and drown.

Match each threat with an action

• Protect connected river stretches and suitable flows.
• Reduce sewage and industrial pollution.
• Work with fishing groups on safer gear and quick release.
• Monitor boats, noise, and sand mining in key reaches.
• Survey dolphins and habitat with common methods. See the programme aims.
• State forest departments, fishers, river agencies, and researchers all have roles. No single ministry controls every threat.
• In West Bengal, WWF-India and partners tested a device to warn dolphins near nets. This is a test, not a proven nationwide fix.

What does a survey count?

• Researchers travel known river reaches by boat. They record sightings, habitat, and threats.
• Hydrophones listen for underwater clicks. They help when muddy water hides animals.
• The 2021-23 survey covered 28 rivers in eight states. It estimated 6,327 river dolphins. See the PIB survey release.
• That total includes Ganges dolphins and a few Indus dolphins. It is not a count of marine dolphins.
• Older local estimates used different places and methods. The new national total does not prove a population boom.

Protection and a real place

• The Ganges dolphin is listed as Endangered. India’s Wild Life (Protection) Act places Ganges and Indus dolphins in Schedule I.
• The Convention on Migratory Species also lists the Ganges dolphin.
• In Bihar, the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary protects a 60-kilometre Ganga stretch. See the WII sanctuary profile.
• See Kailash Sankhala for another Indian species programme. Project Tiger and Project Dolphin protect different habitats.

Measured work

• In December 2024, a team tagged a Ganges dolphin in Assam. The Wildlife Institute of India worked with the Assam Forest Department and Aaranyak. See the PIB tagging release.
• The tag can show movement and habitat use. One tagged animal cannot describe every dolphin’s route.
• On 17 January 2026, the second range-wide survey started at Bijnor. Its first phase covers the main Ganga and Indus stretches. See the PIB 2026 survey release.
• Later work covers the Brahmaputra, tributaries, Sundarbans, and Odisha. It also looks at Irrawaddy dolphins in suitable areas.
• These are research and planning steps. Success needs repeated counts plus proof of safer habitat.