| Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary- Girwa River |
| Uttar Pradesh,India |
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| Habitat Area (length x river width): |
11.5 km2 of gharial habitat |
| Significance: |
Most significant gharial population outside Chambal River |
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| Status: |
Fragile & Vulnerable |
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| Latest survey results (2005): |
50-60 adults |
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| Enforcement: |
Good. Boat patrols morning and evening. |
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Limited suitable habitat area |
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Fishing (particularly upstream and downstream of Sanctuary) |
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Disturbance at basking and nesting sites by humans and livestock. |
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Egg collection by tribals for consumption |
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| The Girwa River originates in Nepal and runs through the tiny Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India, which sits along the Indo-Nepali border. Though the Sanctuary is spread across 400 sq. km. the prime gharial habitat on this river is less than 5 km long. Although it doesn’t suffer from the same pressures as the Chambal, its limited gharial habitat area, dynamic environment, and burgeoning human population surrounding the Sanctuary make it a vulnerable area. The environment of KWLS is dynamic, with the course and water levels of the river changing drastically seasonally, in turn drastically altering the the sand bars and banks upon which gharials depend. Through there are many sand bars and banks gharials only use a select few for nesting, as the banks must be high above the flood line. Monsoon flash floods may flush a significant number of juvenile gharials outside of the Sanctuary, causing significant mortality. |
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| The largest males in the world are found here and the population is fairly stable. However in 3 decades the gharial population has expanded very little nor moved to colonize adjacent river areas. Several researchers have suggested that the Girwa has reached its carrying capacity and that further releases are not necessary as recruitment from the 20+ annual nests should be sufficient provided adequate protection of the habitat is maintained. Thanks to the efforts of dedicated members of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department (UPFD) some of the crucial nesting areas that had become degraded were restored, resulting in an increased number of nests laid in 2007. Though the hatching rate from these nests was very high, with 1000 hatchlings being counted, the fate of these hatchlings is uncertain. Hopefully with continued efforts this significant population of gharials can be preserved. |
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