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22 Dec 2021 Alligator (Ghadaiyal): Beas Conservation Reserve

Posted at 12:22h in Daily current-affairs by khyati khare 0 Comments

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Recently, Punjab Forest and Wildlife Conservation Department in collaboration with ‘World-Wide Fund for Nature-India’ (WWF-India) has released 24 ghadaiyal (Gavialisgangeticus) in ‘Beas Conservation Reserve’.
Ghadaiyal reintroduction in the Beas Conservation Reserve is an ambitious program of the Government of Punjab.

The ghadaiyal, sometimes called the gavial, is a type of Asian crocodile that is distinguished by its long, slender snout. Crocodiles are a group of reptiles that includes crocodiles, ghadaiyal, caimans, etc.

Alligator/ghadaiyal (Gavialisgangeticus): IUCN Red List – Critically Endangered
Crocodile (Crocodylus Palustris): IUCN-Vulnerable.
Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus Porosus): IUCN- Least Concerned.
All three are listed in Appendix I of CITES and Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Exceptions: The saltwater crocodile populations of Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are included in Appendix II of CITES.

Natural Habitat: Fresh water of northern part of India.
Primary Habitat: Chambal River (a tributary of Yamuna).
Secondary Habitats: Ghaghra, Gandak River, Girwa River (Uttar Pradesh), Ramganga River (Uttarakhand) and Son River (Bihar).
Significance: Ghadaiyal population is a good indicator of clean river water.

Kukrail Ghadaiyal Rehabilitation Center and Breeding Center at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, National Chambal Sanctuary (Gharial Eco Park, Madhya Pradesh). The Hindu Analysis

Increase in river pollution, dam construction, large-scale fishing and flooding.
Illegal sand mining and poaching.

It is a 185 km long stretch of the Beas River located mainly in the north-west of the state of Punjab.
The reserve is also home to the only known population of the endangered Indus river dolphin (Platanistagangetica minor) in India.
In the year 2017, a program was launched for the conservation of the critically endangered ghadaiyal (Gavialisgangeticus).

It rises near the source of the Ravi at the southern end of the Pir Panjal range, near the Rohtang Pass, at an altitude of 4,062 meters above sea level. It is a tributary of the Indus River.
It joins the Sutlej River in Harike, Punjab. It is comparatively a small river which covers only 460 kms. Long but completely located in Indian Territory.
It forms a gorge at ‘Kati and Largi’ in the Dhauladhar range.
The major tributaries of the Beas River are Banner, Chakki, Gaja, Harla, Mamuni, Parvati, Patlikuhal, Sainj, Suketi and Tirthanalong with Bain, Banganga, Luni and Uhl.