Why Are Endangered Gharial Hatchlings Vanishing In Satkosia Gorge?

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

A number of Gharial hatchlings have been swept away by floodwaters in Mahanadi in Odisha's Satkosia Gorge, media reports said. The reports said that out of 160 Gharial hatchlings bred in captivity in Gharial Conservation and Research Centre at Tikarpadain in Angul district in the past five years, a very few have have been left. Environmentalists have expressed their concern over the lack of preparedness by the wildlife officials in Angul division to save the hatchlings from gushing waters of Mahanadi during monsoon. Gharial hatchlings being swept away during floods in Mahanadi, the largest river in Odisha, does not occur occasionally, rather this is a regular phenomenon during rainy season.

Flood Factor Overlooked:

Gharial hatchlings are very small and measure nearly 40 centimeters after coming out of their eggs. They are always vulnerable to gushing waters of Mahanadi that overwhelm the sandy beds of the river where hatchlings take shelter after coming out the eggs. The irony is that the wildlife staff of Angul division become active to search for the lost hatchlings after they were swept away by floods. Environmentalists alleged that the wildlife staff never tried to relocate the Gharial hatchlings from Mahanadi's sandy beds to more safer places before monsoon. Therefore, breeding of the endangered species is always replete with danger, they reasoned.

Mugger, Illegal Fishing Challenges:

It is a known fact that Muggers pose severe threat to the fish-eating Gharials in river Mahanadi. In addition to this, illegal sand mining and fishing also have serious threat to the survival of the hatchlings. Although the Satkosia Gorge has been declared as a no-fishing zone, illegal fishing and sand mining activities in upstream locations of river Mahanadi have jeopardized the habitat.

Measures To Safeguard Gharials:

• The wildlife division of Angul must take proactive measures to protect the hatchlings before they are swept away by surging waters of Mahanadi.
• The department must ensure that there are enough makeshift enclosures at Tikarpada to house the hatchlings during floods. This measure must be taken much before the onset of monsoon. The hatching site at Baladamara is prone to be washed away during monsoon, therefore the wildlife staff must be prepared to arrange alternative sites as safe habitats for the Gharials .
• Community participation is always encouraging for conservation of endangered species. The wildlife staff, as a good measure, should engage the local fishing community in rescue operations during floods in Mahanadi.
• Enforcement of stricter rules for protection of habitat should be the utmost task of the wildlife division to discourage illegal sand mining upstream.

Media Advocacy:

Media advocacy is one of the most important tenets of conservation policies in most parts of the world as the target audience could be educated on a particular issue. This works incredibly well on wildlife topics. As media plays an important role on awareness on the merits of conservation of biodiversity, it is advisable for the wildlife division in Angul to grab the opportunity to save environmental disaster in the industrial district of Odisha. This is high time that the wildlife wing of Angul must take fruitful measures for survival of Gharials in Satkosia Gorge. The challenge for wildlife staff is, no doubt great, but they have to rise to the occasion and face it.