Another rare blind dolphin found dead in Indus river near Kandhkot

KANDHKOT: A rare blind dolphin was found dead in the Indus River near Kandhkot village of Sindh’s Kashmore district, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The local residents found blind dolphin dead on the bank of river Indus when they went for wood cutting. The locals said that blind dolphin might have died due to the poisonous chemical, put by fishermen in water to catch fishes.

Wildlife Protection Department failed to reach the site thus far.

Indus River Dolphins are grey-brown in colour, sometimes with a pinkish belly, and measure between 1.5 metres and 2.5 metres in length, weighing a maximum of 90 kg.

Blind river dolphins are nearing its extinction due to the government’s lackluster attitude toward the rare species. According to reports, there are fewer than 4000 to 6000 blind river dolphins left and the number is fast decreasing.

Last week, thousands of fish were witnessed dead in the off-taking Canals of Sukkur Barrage after poisonous chemicals poured into the water.

According to reports, after the Sukkur Barrage closed for maintenance and repairs, the gates at the head of the canals were opened and water allowed to flow downstream into the river.

The water collects in small ponds at various sites of the canals and greedy fishing business people pour poisonous chemicals in these ponds to kill mostly the juvenile fish at massive scale. The dead fish then collected in bags and taken to markets for sale.

The practice is a public health hazard, as fish died by poison pose threat to the health of consumers.

The district administration and concerned department, have failed to take any action against the perpetrators.