NGT books Bihar government for failure in removing bridge collapse debris threatening Gangetic dolphins

The bridge is being constructed by a private firm named SP Singla Construction Private Limited for Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited
NGT books Bihar government for failure in removing bridge collapse debris threatening Gangetic dolphins
The Gangetic river dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal.Representational Image/iStock
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Taking cognisance of the debris of a collapsed under-construction bridge that is endangering the Gangetic Dolphins in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has booked several agencies of the Bihar government. 

The bridge in question is situated on Sultanganj-Aguani ghat on river Ganga and the case proceedings will commence on January 6, 2025 at NGT’s eastern zone bench in Kolkata. 

The case was filed after a petition was submitted to NGT by an engineer named Hemant Kumar, who highlighted the threat posed to the dolphins from the huge debris of the collapsed bridge as it is in close proximity with Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary.

The government agencies facing the lawsuit include Bihar Pollution Control Board, Bhagalpur District Magistrate, and National Mission for Clean Ganga, Bihar Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department, Chief Wildlife Warden Bihar and most importantly the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti. 

According to a senior official of Bihar Pollution Control Board here, the NGT has directed all seven agencies named in the case to send their representatives during the hearing of the case early next year.

The portion of the bridge whose debris is polluting the water in Ganga had collapsed on three occasions — August 2024, June 2023 and April 2022 in the last three years and huge debris has been lying there ever since.

Case details

This bridge is being constructed by a private firm named SP Singla Construction Private Limited for Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited but so far, the state government has not taken any action against it despite the collapse of the bridge on three counts.

The petitioner, in his written letter to the NGT,  informed that the debris of the collapsed bridge also posed threat to India’s first observatory for the dolphin. The observatory is being built on the Sultanganj-Aguwani Ghat bridge over the Ganga.

Vikrashila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS), the only dolphin sanctuary in the country, is located in the area where huge debris lies and it is a protected zone. VGDS spreads over 50 km along the river.

Gravity of the situation

The Gangetic river dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal. It is a Schedule I animal under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. It has been declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The Gangetic river dolphin is one of four freshwater dolphin species in the world. The other three are located in the Yangtze river in China (now extinct), the Indus river in Pakistan and the Amazon river in South America.

This particular dolphin is found in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. It is blind and finds its way and prey in river waters through echolocation. Bihar is home to around half of the estimated 3,000 Gangetic dolphins in India.

Dolphins prefer water that is at least five to eight feet deep. They are usually found in turbulent waters, where there are enough fish for them to feed on.

Gangetic dolphins live in a zone where there is little or no current, helping them save energy. If they sense danger, they can dive into deep waters. The dolphins swim from the no-current zone to the edges to hunt for fish and return.

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