Bhupendra Yadav Launches Gharial Conservation Programme at Katarniaghat

The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav, launched the Gharial Species Conservation Programme on 20 June 2025 by releasing seven one-year-old gharial hatchlings into the Gerua River at Katarniaghat in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh.

The Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary is a breeding ground of gharials with the Gerua River being an ideal habitat for gharials.

About the Gharial and Its Conservation Efforts in India 

The Indian Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) has been listed as critically endangered species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list .

The Gharial is endemic to India and is found in three tributaries of the Ganga- the Chambal and the Gerua Rivers (also known as Girwa Rivers) in India and the Rapti-Narayani River in Nepal.

Once abundant in the rivers of North India, its wild population has drastically reduced to around 800.

The National Chambal Sanctuary on the River Chambal, spread over Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, hosts around  77% of the global gharial population.

The Gharial reserves are in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. 

Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh is a major captive breeding ground of gharial hatchlings.

Conservation Effort 

In 1975, the Government of India launched Project Crocodile with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Initially, the programme was a success, and the gharial population in the country increased dramatically.

In 1996, the government of India declared the project a success and withdrew its funding.

However, in 2006, a survey indicated that only 200 wild gharials were in the country.

In 2007, the gharial status was changed from Endangered to Critically Endangered by the IUCN.

The Government of India has now launched the Gharial Conservation Programme again to protect the endangered species and their habitats.

Gharial 

Scientific Name - Gavialis gangeticus.

It is a unique species of crocodilian. 

It is characterised by its long, thin snout and the bulbous growth at the end of its snout.

Gharial derives its name from ghara, an Indian word for pot because of their bulbous knob at the end of its snout.

Status -Listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.