Learning about Bhaglapur

Today I get an introduction to the area with a quick trip out onto the Ganges river.

Dr. Sunil Choudhary (Photo: JLewis)

Subhasis Dey, who manages the activities of the lab and also conducts his own research, met me early in the day and brought me first to meet Dr. Choudhary at Bhaglapur University to further discuss the objectives of my filming activity in India. We then went to the river where I was able to learn more about the current situation there.

Subhasis Dey (Photo: JLewis)

Raw sewage enters the Ganges River (Photo: JLewis)

The Ganges river dolphin faces many problems. The issues here are extraordinarily complex. Raw sewage pours directly into the river where we climb onto boats. Fishing nets cover large expanses of the river. A brand new bridge also now brings more traffic to this side of the river.

Bridge across Ganges (Photo: JLewis)

I talk with Subhasis while on the water and we actually get to see a number of dolphins. It is estimated that a large number of dolphins (maybe up to 150) may regularly use this stretch of the river within the sanctuary.  While protected under the law, there is no enforcement of these rules to date. Like in Bangladesh, the use of the blue tiny mesh size nets for capture of everything…is also increasing in popularity. In addition to the “normal” issues, here in Bihar there is another layer. Control of the fishing activities occurs through a criminal element similar to what we know in the states as the mafia (similar in at least to the way the system works).