Fish Diversity of Chambal River, Rajasthan State - Aquatic Ecosystem: Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation - page 263

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Fish Diversity of Chambal River,
Rajasthan State

Harinder Singh Banyal and Sanjeev Kumar

Abstract
The Chambal is the only perennial river which fl ows through Rajasthan.
The Chambal River rises in the hills of Vindhya Range at Madhya Pradesh
and fl ows downstream in south to north through Rajasthan. It enters ahead
of Gandhi Sagar Dam in Chittorgarh District of Rajasthan and then forms
the boundary between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh before turning
southeast to join the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh. The fi sh fauna of the
Chambal River is rich and diverse. Various types of carps, catfi sh, and
mullet reside in the river waters. Fifty-four species of fi shes were reported
from the Rajasthan part of the Chambal River. To conserve the critically
endangered gharials and other aquatic fauna, a stretch of more than 640 km
of the Chambal River in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and
Uttar Pradesh has been jointly declared as the National Chambal Sanctuary.
Present studies deal with fi sh fauna from the Rajasthan part of the Chambal
River and various other factors governing their diversity and distribution.

Keywords
Chambal • Distribution • Fish diversity • Rajasthan

Introduction

river wetland and foretells its ability to sustain
life in the future. Conservation of biodiversity is
especially crucial in developing countries where
people's livelihoods are directly dependent on
natural resources such as forests and fi sheries.
Habitat loss is a serious threat to biodiversity, and
establishment of protected areas for biota conser-
vation is critical to ensure species survival and
ecosystem balance.
Understanding of fi sh fauna of Rajasthan
is mainly based on the work of Mathur ( 1952 ),

Fish diversity is an integral part of a riverine
ecosystem. Most of the higher vertebrates residing
in riverine ecosystem are dependent on fi shes.
Fish diversity is an indicator of the health of a