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Kharai Camel & Mangrove Crisis
Despite NGT orders, illegal salt pans and encroachment of creeks continue to threaten Kachchh’s Kharai camels
Context: The rare indigenous Kharai camel of Kachchh, Gujarat, is under serious threat despite repeated interventions by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
About Kharai Camel
- Scientific Name: Camelus dromedarius.
- The Kharai camel, indigenous to Gujarat, derives its name from the local word “Khara”—meaning saline—a nod to its rare ability to thrive in both arid deserts and coastal ecosystems.
- The Kharai, also known as the “Swimming Camel,” is a unique camel breed adapted to wade and swim over 3 kilometres in seawater to forage on mangroves.
- Recognised as an ecotonal species, it thrives in arid grasslands and swims to mangrove islands (locally called bets), a trait that distinguishes it from all other camel breeds.
- Additionally, Kharai camel milk, known for its high nutritional value and therapeutic properties, is drawing increasing interest in health and wellness markets, offering new livelihood opportunities.
- This unique camel has been preserved by the Rabari and Fakirani Jat pastoralist tribes for over 400 years, forming a vital part of their cultural identity and pastoral economy.
- Listed as endangered, these species face severe threats from industrial expansion, illegal salt pan encroachment, and climate change, which have degraded their grazing grounds and impacted herder livelihoods.
NGT’s Directives and Ongoing Violations
- In 2020, the NGT issued clear directives to halt the destruction of mangroves and to investigate illegal salt pan expansion within Coastal Regulation Zone-I (CRZ-I)—a highly sensitive ecological zone. The court instructed state authorities to:
- Joint inspection of the affected areas
- Identification and action against those responsible for creek obstruction and illegal salt pan expansion
- Recovery and restoration of damaged mangrove areas, including cost assessment for restoration
- Despite these clear orders, enforcement has been lacking. Violations have continued and even intensified.
