Into the river

KOCHI:  The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, is carrying out ecological status research at Periyar for its conservation planning. A five-member team is collecting water, sediment and biota samples from the Periyar at Aluva.   

The project titled ‘Assessment of the Ecological Status of Select Indian Rivers for Conservation Planning’ is under the aegis of the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD). And among the six Indian rivers selected, Periyar is the only one from Kerala.

“The objective of the project is to assess the biodiversity and the biological survey of Periyar. There are two teams biodiversity and ecological. The biodiversity team will conduct the survey of vegetation, reptiles, freshwater, and other inhabitants of the Periyar and nearby areas. It will also assess the load and sources of pollution.

Apart from the Periyar, the project is going on in five rivers Godavari, Narmada, Mahanadi, Cauvery and Barak. This is our first survey where we will be collecting samples and analysing them. Based on the results, the pollution levels of these rivers will be assessed,” says Bhawna Pandey, a researcher at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

Along with the pollution load, the WII team is also conducting a biodiversity assessment throughout the riverscape which will include the survey of vegetation, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals inhabiting the river. This ecological and ecotoxicological assessment of the river will generate baseline data on the current status of the river and will help identify the biodiversity hotspots and implement conservation strategies.