Fauna of Narmada and Tapi Estuaries Gujarat

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Gujarat state is bestowed with a large number of river systems with a complicated network of butaries opening into the Arabian Sea. The Narmada River is the biggest river of Gujarat followed by Tapi River. The Narmada also called Rewa is the fifth largest river in India. It originated from a small tank called Narmada Kund located on the Amarkanta hill in the Anuppar district of eastern Madhya Pradesh 2 is the largest west flowing river and forms the traditional boundary between North and South India. It flows westwards over a length of 1312 km. before draining through the Gulf of Cambey (Khambat) into the Arabian Sea, 30 km west of Bharuch city of Gujarat. The river flows through the states of Maharahtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.

The Tapti River is one of only three rivers that run from east to west in peninsular India- the ethers being the Narmada River and the Mahi River. The total length of the Tapti River is approximately 724 km. It originates in the eastern Satpura Range of Betul district of Madhya Pradesh state, and flows westward, draining Madhya Pradesh's Nimar region, Maharashtra's Kandesh and cast Vidarbha regions in the northwest corner of the Deccan Plateau and south Gujarat. Later, it empties into the Gulf of Cambay of the Arabian Sea, in the Surat District of Gujarat Narmada and Taps are the two most significant rivers in the state.

The estuarine ecosystem is a vital ecosystem as the land waters mainly through rivers meet the ocean. A typical environment developed in this niche where the water is neither fresh nor saline. They harbour rich diversity and populations of fishes, crustaceans, molluscs, and other aquatic organisms, which can thrive well in the different salinity conditions. Nowadays the estuary gets lots of attention because these areas are amongst the most densely populated areas throughout the world. Because of its importance, many workers both in India and aboard have studied estuarine fauna and ecology.

Various workers made the studies on the ecology and fauna of estuaries of India (Arun, 2005; Brinda et al. 2010; Dash and Mishra, 2007, Gajbhiye et al, 1981, Indra, 1994, Kosygin et al., 2014. Krishnan and Mishra, 2001, Mishra, 2008, 2010; Murty and Rao, 1977, Rao, 1995; Rao, 2004; Raon et al. 2014, Rajendran et al, 2004, Soundarapandian et al, 2009. Venkateswarlu et al, 1998). Chandra et al (2010) reported a total of 2422 species (665 vertebrates and 1757 invertebrates) belonging to 40 different animal groups from the Narmada basin in Mydhya Pradesh. However studies on the ecology and fauna of Narmada and Tapi estuaries in Gujarat are very scanty (Dash et al, 2014, Marthe et al, 2011, Varshney et al, 1981) and there is no detailed information on the fishes, molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic insects.

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