Lucknow, October 31: Endangered Gangetic dolphins are returning to their habitats, that is river Ganga, all thanks to the reduced water pollution, efforts to eradicate the pollution, cleaning drives, lesser human activities, and more importantly Namami Gange project. According to the reports, the dolphins have also been seen breeding in Brijghat, Narora, Kanpur, Mirzapur, and Varanasi, which is expected to see a further increase in their numbers in the coming days. Presently, the population of dolphins in the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh is estimated to be around 600.

The Namami Gange project was launched in 2014 with the objective to rejuvenate Ganga. Namami Gange, a project in which an integrated approach that focused on the interception and diversion of sewage by tapping the drains flowing into the river Ganga was adopted. Uttarakhand Shocker: Two Men From Delhi Swept Away in Ganga River Near Rishikesh.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday claimed that with the completion of 23 projects under the ambitious programme started in 2014, the State has successfully stopped flowing more than 460 MLD of sewage into the Ganga in the State. Uttar Pradesh government further said that dolphins have started coming back to the Ganga river with improvement in the quality of its water through the Namami Gange programme. Morbi Suspension Bridge Collapse: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath Expresses Grief Over Bridge Collapse in Gujarat.

According to the state government, the assessment of river water quality carried out during the period 2014-2022 at 20 locations revealed that there has been a lot of improvement in dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical demand (BOD), and fecal coliform (FC) parameters as well. The government said the test found that pH (how acidic the water was) at 20 locations met the water quality criteria for bathing, while DO, BOD, and FC improved at 16, 14, and 18 out of 20 locations, respectively.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 31, 2022 12:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).