MV Ganga Vilas cruise could threaten endangered river dolphins: Experts

'World's longest river cruise' will take the maiden journey from Varanasi and travel 3,200 km over 51 days to Dibrugarh in Assam, passing through 27 different river systems

MV Ganga Vilas, a three-decked river cruise has been launched from Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi. However, according to environmentalists and conservationists, the cruise could do lasting damage to the habitat of the endangered Ganges river dolphin (Platanista Gangetica), reported The Guardian. 

 

MV Ganga Vilas is the longest river cruise in the world which will take its maiden journey from Varanasi and travel 3,200 km over 51 days to Dibrugarh in Assam, passing through 27 different river systems. 

 

The luxury voyage will pass through Kaithi village, 30km from Varanasi at the confluence of the Ganges and Gomti River. The intersection's deep water and slower currents offer the endangered dolphin a secure refuge. Wildlife experts estimated that 35 to 39 dolphins were present in the area in October after spotting a pod with calves.

 

Apart from Kaithi village, the cruise will pass through a number of other protected cetacean habitats including Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bihar. 

 

According to experts, Ganges river dolphins face a number of threats like water pollution, excessive water extraction, and poaching. 

 

Biologist Ravindra Kumar Sinha said to The Guardian that cruises are a dangerous proposition for the dolphins, in addition to all the existing risks. 

 

Sinha, whose conservation efforts led the government to designate Gangetic dolphins as a protected species in the 1990s further added that cruise tourism will undo the gains made in recent years toward improving the dolphin population. There are about 3,200 dolphins in the Ganges and 500 in the Brahmaputra. As they are "nearly blind," Gangetic dolphins use echolocation clicks to seek food and navigate through the murky waters. “There’s no doubt that disturbances from cruises will gravely impact the dolphins, which are sensitive to noise,” he said.

 

According to Kashif Siddiqui, marketing director of Antara, which organised MV Ganga Vilas cruise, the company is following all the environmental precautions and government guidelines. "With sustainable principles at its heart, the Ganga Vilas incorporates pollution prevention and noise control technologies to honour the ancient rivers traveled through," reads the promotional material for the cruise.