Industrial development and rapid urbanisation are taking a toll on the freshwater species of the Western Ghats. Close to 16 per cent of freshwater fish, molluscs, dragonflies, damselflies and aquatic plants found along the length of peninsular India are threatened with extinction due to water pollution from agricultural and urban sources and overharvesting, says a new study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The study has been conducted by IUCN along with the Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO) to asses the conservation status of freshwater species in the major river catchments in the Western Ghats states—Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, ...
