Karachi: The wildlife department of Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh kicked off a five-day survey on Monday to count Indus dolphins, which are among the world’s rarest mammals, for conservation purposes.
“The survey is carried out by a 22-member team and will reveal the current population of blind Indus dolphins,” wildlife conservator, Javed Mahar, told Arab News on Monday.
Indus freshwater dolphins are usually described as “blind” since their eyes are not fully developed due to the murky river water, pushing it to “rely on echolocation, or sound sensors, to find fish, shrimp, and other prey inside the waters,” he added.
While the natural habitat for Indus dolphin existed in the river from Attock in Punjab to the Indus delta in the Arabia Sea, the survey team, comprising officials of the province’s wildlife and irrigation departments, would focus on the area between Guddu and Sukkur barrage, said Mahar.
“The constructions of dams and barrages restricted the movement of this freshwater mammal. In early 1974, a Swiss professor, Giorgio Pilleri, conducted a survey and subsequently recommended to preserve the dolphins through law,” he continued.
The count in the first survey was 150.
Consequently, the government of Sindh designated a 200-kilometer stretch of the river between Guddu and Sukkur barrage as the Indus Dolphin Reserve in 1974. The place is now a legally protected area with the largest population of aquatic animal.
Official claims that while the two of the world’s four types of fresh water dolphins – the Ganges river dolphin, called Susu, and Yangtze river dolphin, called Baiji – are almost non-existent the number of Indus dolphins has strangely grown from 150 in 1974 to 918 in 2012, when the last survey was conducted.
After a gap of six years, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Pakistan conducted an unofficial survey last year and claimed the existing population of Indus dolphin was about 1800. However, Mahar said the exact figure of the current population would come to light after the conclusion of the ongoing survey.
Despite their growing number, officials and experts say, the blind dolphins could be facing extinction due to the shrinkage of their habitat, shortage of water and increasing pollution in the river.
“Unlike Ganga, Yangtze and Amazon, there’s no shipping in Indus. Yet, the dolphins remain in danger due to multiple factors,” Mahar said.
Dr. Alia Bano Munshi, a marine life expert and recipient of the pride of performance award, urged lawmakers to tighten legislation to secure Indus dolphin and other rare aquatic species from vanishing altogether.
“Water population, slow movement of water, low levels of water and hot weather are some of the factors threatening these dolphins,” Munshi told Arab News.
She added that these rare mammals could be saved through preventive measures and continuous monitoring.
Sindh wildlife department kicks off survey to save Indus dolphins
Sindh wildlife department kicks off survey to save Indus dolphins
- The population of Indus dolphins has increased, official says
- This rare specie is ‘blind’ in murky river water and relies on echolocation to find prey
Pakistan PM to visit Qatar today to explore trade, investment, energy cooperation
- Shehbaz Sharif to lead high-level delegation comprising deputy premier, senior ministers and officials on two-day visit
- Sharif to meet Qatari amir, discuss economic collaboration, regional and global developments, says Pakistan’s foreign office
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Qatar today, Monday, for a two-day visit to the country during which both sides will explore new avenues of cooperation in trade, investment, energy and manpower export, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Sharif will visit Qatar from Feb. 23-24 at the invitation of Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the foreign office said. The Pakistani premier will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as well as other ministers and senior officials.
Sharif is expected to meet the Qatari amir during his visit and review bilateral ties, political engagement, economic collaboration, energy partnership and people-to-people exchanges, it added.
“The two sides will also explore new avenues of cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, investment, energy, infrastructure development and manpower export,” the statement said.
The foreign office said Sharif’s visit will provide both leaderships an opportunity to exchange views on regional and global developments, reaffirming their resolve to work closely for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
Pakistan enjoys robust trade and investment relations with Qatar. In 2022, the Qatari amir’s office said that the Qatar Investment Authority aims to invest $3 billion in Pakistan to support the South Asian nation’s cash-strapped economy. This investment would focus on Pakistan’s transport, civil aviation, education, health, culture, media, communications, information technology and labor sectors, the amir’s office said.
Qatar is also host to almost 300,000 Pakistanis, which is a large part of the country’s total population, according to Pakistan’s foreign office. Qatar employs a large number of Pakistanis in the health, education, engineering, finance and public service sectors.
A large number of semi-skilled and unskilled Pakistani work force also dominate the construction and transport sectors of Qatar. Pakistan’s efforts to expand employment opportunities for its skilled labor in Qatar have led to both sides signing several memoranda of understanding and letters of intent over the years.
The two nations also promote bilateral cooperation through several forums such as the Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC), Joint Ministerial Commission, Joint Business Council and Working Group on Trade & Investment.
Qatar was also instrumental in easing tensions by hosting talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in October last year, after both sides were involved in fierce border clashes that killed several and wounded dozens.
