Gharials

Subject – Environment

Context – After 50 years, gharials alive and kicking in Beas Reserve

Concept –

Gharials, sometimes called gavials, are a type of Asian crocodilian distinguished by their long, thin snouts which resembles a pot (ghara in Hindi).
Population of Gharials are a good indicator of clean river water.
Gharials are a type of Crocodilians that also includes crocodiles, alligators, caimans, etc. India has three species of Crocodilians namely:
- Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus): International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)- Critically Endangered.
- Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris): IUCN- Vulnerable
- Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus): IUCN- Least Concern
In comparison to Crocodiles, Gharials are very shy and unharmful species.

Gharial reintroduction in the Beas Conservation Reserve

The Beas Conservation Reserve is a 185-kilometre stretch of the Beas River located primarily in the north-west of the State of Punjab.
The gharial reintroduction in the Beas Conservation Reserve is an ambitious programme of the Punjab government.
The reptiles were commonly sighted in the Beas River till the 1960s but later became extinct.
The gharial can be found in north Indian rivers such as the Ganga, Yamuna and Chambal and their tributaries.
The Reserve also hosts the only known population in India of the endangered Indus river dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor).
Further threatened species include the endangered masheer (Tor putitora) and hog deer (Axis porcinus) as well as the vulnerable smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata).
In 2017, a programme was initiated to re-introduce the critically endangered gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) with 47 individuals released into the River 30 years after their disappearance.

Beas River

The Beas originates near the Rohtang Pass, at a height of 4,062 m above sea level, on the southern end of the Pir Panjal Range, close to the source of the Ravi.
It is a tributary of Indus river.
It meets the Satluj river at Harike in Punjab.
It is a comparatively small river which is only 460 km long but lies entirely within the Indian territory.
The river flows through Kullu Valley.
It forms a gorge at Kati and Largi in the Dhauladhar range.
Harike wetland is a Ramsar site, a wetland of international importance.