Biodiversity and ecological challenges in the Indus basin

The Indus River basin, while heavily modified by humans, supports unique biodiversity, which is now facing severe threats.

Key Biodiversity:

Indus River Dolphin: The basin's most famous resident is the Indus River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor), one of the world's rarest freshwater dolphins. It is functionally blind and navigates using echolocation.

Fish and Birds: The river system supports numerous fish species and is a critical part of the Indus Flyway, a major route for migratory birds traveling from Siberia to the Indian subcontinent.

Major Ecological Challenges:

• Water Scarcity and Pollution: The basin is one of the world's most water-stressed. High agricultural demand, coupled with pollution from pesticides, fertilizers, and untreated industrial and urban waste, severely degrades water quality.

• Habitat Fragmentation: The construction of numerous dams and barrages has fragmented the river, isolating populations of the Indus River Dolphin and disrupting fish migration patterns.

• Climate Change: The Indus is heavily reliant on meltwater from Himalayan glaciers. Climate change threatens this water source, leading to increased flood risk in the short term (from rapid melting) and severe water shortages in the long term.

• Salinization: Decades of intensive irrigation have led to waterlogging and soil salinization in many parts of the basin, reducing agricultural productivity.