On the 13th of January, conservationist and nature guide Tek Mahato found a dolphin in the Narayani River at Amaltari Ghat in Nawalpur.
Earlier, he had seen dolphins at the same place on 14th of November. He is excited to have found dolphins in a place called Velauji of Narayani river last year.
According to Mahato, dolphins hadn't been seen in the Narayani River for a long time. He was excited when dolphins were gradually found in this area since last year. "Dolphins have started to be seen again after a long time in Narayani river, this has excited the conservationists of this area", he said.
From Amaltarighat in Nawalparasi East Nawalpur to Triveni in Narayani River, dolphins have been seen at different times. Dolphins are mostly seen at Amaltari Ghat and Velauji in Narayani River. As the surface of the river is deep and calm in these places, dolphins may have been seen in this area, conservationist Mahato said.
He said that seeing dolphins gradually after a long time is a matter of happiness. Mahato said that two dolphins are seen in this area. Last December 14th, he also wanted to take pictures of dolphins.
Conservationist DB Chaudhary also said that dolphins were found in Narayani recently. He says that earlier, most of the dolphins were seen in the Narayani river, but they disappeared, but now dolphins are starting to be seen again. He said that due to the barrier on the Nepal-India border at Triveni, most of the dolphins could not come up after going down from the dam, so dolphins stopped being seen in this area."From Amaltari to Triveni, there is a good environment for dolphins, the water is deep, there are fish for food, but the dolphins keep swimming in the river below, because of the barrage at Triveni, it is difficult for dolphins to come back once they go down", he said. It has started to be seen since last year, it is a matter of happiness."
He says that seeing dolphins in the Narayani river is also beneficial from a tourist point of view. Conservationist Chaudhary said that when dolphins are seen in the river, domestic and foreign tourists come to see the dolphins, which will increase tourism activities. "The number of tourists who come to this area to see dolphins increases, this can become a means of attracting tourists, thus promoting the tourism of the entire district", he said.
A dolphin is a mammalian aquatic animal. Chaudhary, a conservationist, said that although dolphins have been seen in various rivers including the Narayani River in Nepal, there has been no concrete conservation initiative. He said that after seeing dolphins in Narayani river, it is necessary to work on its conservation. He said that there should be control of pollution in the river, control of activities that interfere with dolphins, and control of fishing with Tihari nets.
"Pollution is increasing in the river. Dolphins can be saved if we control it, stop fishing by using nets, current, etc.," he said.
Santosh Rana, president of Nawalpur Hoteliers' Association, said that if dolphins are seen regularly in the Narayani river, the arrival of tourists will increase and it will help in the economic development of the district through tourism. "It is also a happy thing for us, tourists come to see dolphins, it will increase economic activity, more benefits will be given to make tourism a means of livelihood", he said.
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