Bhubaneswar, Aug 1: Chilika Development Authority has submitted a detailed proposal to the Union government for protection and conservation of the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), a schedule-I animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

The development authority has also sought Rs 15 crore in the form of financial assistance for a period of five years between 2017 and 2022 for this purpose.

According to the development authority's proposal, two rescue and rehabilitation centres for dolphins would be set up in Chilika. The rehabilitation centre would have a treatment room and water body enclosures for rescued dolphins. The development authority has also proposed to conduct a study of the behaviour of the dolphins in the lake and their migration patterns through scientific methods.

"We will identify two such centres - one at Satpada in the outer channel and one at Chandraput in the central sector of the lake - because these are the two main tourist areas. These centres will cater to the rehabilitation process for the dolphins, including their feeding and treatment of physical injuries. Each centre would have an enclosed water body and a building complex for treatment and monitoring," said additional chief executive of the development authority Sasmita Lenka.

As many as 89 Irrawaddy dolphins were in the lake in 2003. The number gradually increased to 154 in 2016.

Irrawaddy dolphins are also a vulnerable species under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened animals. Forest officials say the dolphins in the lake face several threats, especially gill nets used in fishing, and also collision with mechanised boats. The dolphins are also threatened by tourist boats chasing them.

"Chasing and assembling of a number of tourist boats very to close to a single group of dolphins frightens them and the group may scatter. Dolphins are highly social animals and if a calf is separated from its mother, it may become disoriented and receive injuries from fishing nets or boat propellers," said a forest official.

The proposal also includes an awareness drive for various stakeholders, including boat operators, local community and tourists. "The tourist boat operators need to be sensitised on dolphin-friendly viewing measures through awareness meetings, distribution of handbooks on dolphin facts and signage and posters in boats," said Lenka.

She also said the development authority would start a programme this month to identify boats involved in dolphin watching and other tourism-related activities in the Chilika lake.