The lockdown may have brought the world to a standstill causing significant socio-economical problems, but mother earth has finally got an opportunity to heal itself. Despite the agitation and the anxiousness caused by the pandemic, it is delightful to see flamingoes having a jolly time in Mumbai, deers touring cities, and penguins strolling in the streets as a result of the lockdown!
In today’s dose of happy news, dolphins have been spotted in Kolkata after almost 30 years! According to a report by TOI, the “critically endangered” South-Asian River Dolphin, commonly called the Ganges Dolphin, was spotted in the different ghats of Kolkata.
A senior environmental activist, Biswajit Roy Chowdhury, claims that the lockdown has improved the water quality of the Hoogly river, thereby allowing the dolphins to make a comeback. He spotted a couple of dolphins at Babughat.
“I can remember even 30 years ago, these dolphins used to be spotted from different ghats of Kolkata. Then, as the water pollution levels increased, these mammals disappeared. Dolphins coming back simply indicates that the quality of Hoogly water has improved,” Wildlife photographer Ganesh Chowdhury told TOI.
The Ganges Dolphins are the only freshwater dolphins in the world. According to News18, a study found that besides water pollution, human activities and water transport also caused these dolphins to disappear.
After years, the South Asian River Dolphin, commonly known as Ganges Dolphin, has been spotted from different ghats in Kolkata. These mammals, the only freshwater dolphins in the world, have been categorised as 'critically endangered' and have not been seen near Kolkata for years pic.twitter.com/o9HLnz2g5h
— Shiksha IAS Academy (@ias_shiksha) April 22, 2020
In such tense times, it is difficult not to look back and retrospect our actions as humans and how it has affected nature. Lets this lockdown be an opportunity for us to find ways of coexisting with it so that both of us, humans and nature, can flourish!