Borjhar, June 13: The South Kamrup district administration has taken an initiative to promote tourism based on the river dolphins in the district.

At a meeting held today at district administration office, deputy commissioner Rajib Prakash Baruah discussed the matter threadbare and suggested to prepare a concept report in this regard.

Dolphin has recently been voted the city animal of Guwahati. It is followed by the greater adjutant stork.

Installation of required tourism infrastructure along the riverside figured in the discussion.

Participants in the meeting said adequate infrastructure is a pre-requisite to ensure increased flow of tourists. Foreign tourists visit Kukurmara to watch playful river dolphins.

The participants included dolphin expert Abdul Waquid, assistant conservator of forest, Kamrup West forest division, Subodh Talukdar, assistant executive engineers of Mirza and Boko public works department, Pranab Rabha and Bhupen Sarma, respectively and sub-divisional officer, headquarters, Goutam Mazumdar.

The participants said North Eastern council (NEC) could play a vital role in promoting dolphin tourism in the district.

Baruah said he had apprised NEC member C.K. Das, who visited the district to monitor various schemes for implementation.

Waquid, who spoke about the status of the habitat of the aquatic animal of Kulshi river, said mechanised sand mining is detrimental to river ecology.

"The plankton of the riverbed will be affected by mechanised sand mining that affects fish diversity of the river," he said.

With the help of Kamrup West forest division, the South Kamrup district administration had seized several suction machines recently from sand-mining zones under Kulshi forest range.

A former honorary wildlife warden, however, insisted on preserving the wetlands that are directly connected with Kulshi river, the prime habitat of dolphins. The wetlands include Chandubi, an important bird area, Chal Beel and Dara Beel.

Significantly, freshwater river dolphins are frequently seen in all the confluences between the Kulshi river and its connecting channels of the three wetlands.

Piscivorous dolphins easily catch fish in the confluences. The participants said of the three wetlands, the condition of Chal and Dara is alarmingly deteriorating because of lack of adequate conservation measures.

Freshwater river dolphin is a Schedule 1 species in the Red List of International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).