WATER TRAINS AND CROCODILES

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Context: The Indian Railways has been delivering water to Pali district in western Rajasthan as the region’s water bodies have dried up due to a hot March.

More about news:

• Extreme and early heat in March forced authorities in Pali to release water from the Jawai dam built on the Jawai river, a tributary of the Luni which flows through Pali.
• The district had not received good rains last year. High demand led to water from the reservoir’s dead zone being supplied to Pali and now, the dam is empty much before it should have been.
• Now, over 350 mugger crocodiles for whom the Jawai dam is home are struggling to survive.
• The water in the reservoir is down to three feet. Crocodiles need at least 10 feet of water to survive.
• In lean times, crocodiles seek shelter in dens dug on land near the water body they reside in. They stop all activity in the cool of these dens to conserve their energy and wait for the rains. They can survive for four-six months in this manner.
• The crocodiles found in Jawai are muggers or marsh crocodiles.

About muggers or marsh crocodiles:

• These are freshwater specialists.
• They found all over south Asia — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh — as well as south-eastern Iran.
• Muggers measure six to 13 feet on average and live for 70-80 years.
• The species has been extirpated in many areas of its former range and now survives largely in protected areas, mainly in India and Sri Lanka.
• The mugger is found in 15 Indian states, with the largest populations in the middle Ganges (Bihar-Jharkhand) and Chambal (Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan) basins.
• The main threats to mugger crocodiles are habitat loss due to expansion of agriculture and industry, getting trapped in fishing nets, poaching of their eggs and illegal trade in their skin and meat.
• Since 1982, it has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It is listed in CITES Appendix I, hence international commercial trade is prohibited.
• In India, it has been protected since 1972 under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which prohibits catching, killing and transporting a crocodile without a permit; offenders face imprisonment and a fine

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/-water-trains-hold-key-to-survival-of-350-mugger-crocodiles-in-rajasthan-s-pali-82440