Beas desilting push hits wildlife hurdle

The long-pending desilting project of the Beas River in Punjab, aimed at preventing floods and ensuring the smooth flow of rainwater, has hit a roadblock due to ecological concerns linked to the habitat of critically endangered gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) and the endangered Indus river dolphins inhabiting the river stretch.

Flowing across nearly 185km through Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala districts, the Beas River is one of Punjab’s most ecologically sensitive freshwater ecosystems.

The river was declared a Conservation Reserve in 2017 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and later designated a Ramsar site in 2019 owing to its rich biodiversity.

Following a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar, in April last year, the Punjab water resources department initiated the process for desilting and sought a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the state wildlife department.

A senior officer in the irrigation department said that the civil engineering department of IIT-Ropar had surveyed more than 100 locations along the river and identified several stretches suitable for desilting to improve water flow and reduce the risk of flooding during the monsoon season.

“As per the IIT Ropar report, over 100 sites were surveyed, and many were found suitable for desilting to ensure the smooth flow of rainwater and prevent floods in vulnerable areas. We have written several letters to the wildlife department seeking NOC, but approval is awaited,” the officer said, requesting anonymity.

However, officials in the department of forests and wildlife preservation said many of the proposed sites were found to be ecologically sensitive after joint inspections conducted with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-India. Several stretches recommended for desilting were reportedly rejected because of the presence of gharials and dolphins in those areas.

Wildlife experts pointed out that both gharials and dolphins travel upstream over long distances, making their movement patterns difficult to predict. Officials said dolphins in the Beas are known to move upstream for nearly 200km over a period of a few years.

“It is among the few aquatic species that move extensively upstream. Any unscientific intervention in the riverbed could disturb their habitat, breeding grounds and food chain,” an officer said.

Chief Wildlife Warden of Punjab, Basanta Rajkumar, said desilting activities cannot be permitted in ecologically restricted zones.

“The conservation plan will be examined by the wildlife department and later placed before the state board for wildlife and the national board for wildlife for final approval,” the officer said.

Rajkumar further said that between December 2017 and December 2021, Punjab reintroduced 98 juvenile gharials into the Beas in five batches. The reptiles were translocated from the Gharial Breeding Centre at Deori in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh as part of a conservation initiative.

Surviving against odds

According to the latest census, conducted jointly by the department of forests and wildlife preservation and WWF-India between March and April 2025, as many as 37 gharials were sighted across 22 locations in the Beas River.

The Indus river dolphin population in Punjab also continues to draw attention from conservationists. Officially sighted for the first time in 2007, the species, scientifically known as Platanista gangetica minor, is primarily found in the Harike Wildlife Sanctuary and parts of the Beas River. Wildlife officials estimate that the population in Punjab remains limited and vulnerable to threats such as indiscriminate fishing, pollution and habitat disturbance.

Seven years back, three Indus river dolphins, including a juvenile, were spotted during a post-monsoon survey in October 2019 near Gadka village in Tarn Taran, around 25km upstream of the Harike headworks. Wildlife experts had then described the sighting as evidence that the endangered species was not only surviving in the Beas but had also started breeding successfully.