Navigating the Paradox: India’s Blue Economy and the River Dolphin Conservation Imperative

(Mohd Shahnawaz Khan, Anamitra Anurag Danda – Observer Research Foundation) India is entering a pivotal ‘Blue Highway’ transition with major investments in inland waterways offering a low-carbon alternative to road and rail, enhancing energy efficiency, reducing emissions, and boosting trade competitiveness. These developments, however, are unfolding within some of the most biodiverse river systems on Earth. The Ganga and the Brahmaputra, and their tributaries, are not merely transport corridors; they are living ecosystems that sustain millions of people who depend on riverine resources and many species of marine life, including the endangered Ganges River Dolphin—the focus of this paper. This paper argues that the current trajectory of Inland Water Transport (IWT) expansion, centred on channel dredging, river training, and increased vessel traffic, poses serious threats to riverine biodiversity from underwater noise, habitat degradation, and vessel strikes. Regulatory gaps and limited data further exacerbate these risks. The authors call for a shift to an ecology-sensitive approach, advocating policy reforms, dolphin-friendly technologies, and long-term ecological monitoring to align economic connectivity with ecological integrity. – Navigating the Paradox: India’s Blue Economy and the River Dolphin Conservation Imperative