Pollution killing freshwater species of Western Ghats: IUCN

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).