Project Dolphin (PD): Second Pan-India Survey Launched to Assess River Dolphin Populations

Key facts

• The Union Environment Ministry (UEM) launched the second pan-India counting exercise for dolphins, which will assess the status of Gangetic dolphin along with Indus river and Irrawaddy dolphins on 17 January 2026.
• The survey, Under Project Dolphin (PD), commenced at Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh with 26 researchers in three boats, recording ecological and habitat parameters while also using hydrophones for underwater acoustic monitoring.
• In the first phase, the survey will cover the main stem of the Ganga from Bijnor to Ganga Sagar and the Indus River.
• In the second phase, it will cover Brahmaputra, the tributaries of the Ganga, the Sundarbans, and Odisha to include the Irrawaddy dolphin found in the Sundarban delta.
• The survey is Led by Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun... in coordination with state forest departments and in collaboration with other organisations like WWF India, Aaranyak and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
• The counting exercise will generate robust scientific data to support conservation planning and policy action for river ecosystems.