Jammu set to enter India’s marine tourism map as Oceanarium at Bagh-e-Bahu nears opening

Mohinder Verma

JAMMU, Aug 9: Jammu is all set to find a place on India's marine tourism map with North India's first Oceanarium and the country's third preparing to open by the end of October or early November this year, as authorities have initiated procurement of 1,362 live marine ornamental fish belonging to 14 different species for the landmark attraction at Bagh-e-Bahu.

With the civil works almost complete, the project has entered its final and most crucial phase involving transportation, acclimatization and stocking of marine species. Once operational, the Oceanarium will offer visitors a unique underwater experience through a state-of-the-art tunnel featuring a wide range of exotic marine life making it one of the country's most distinctive tourism attractions.

Official sources told media that process for procurement of 1362 marine fish has been initiated and they will not be brought to Jammu in one consignment. Instead, they will arrive in carefully planned batches, primarily from different parts of South India, to ensure safe transportation and minimize stress on the marine species.

Each batch will first be housed in specially designed quarantine tanks within the Oceanarium complex for four to six weeks. During this period, marine experts will closely monitor the health, feeding behaviour and adaptability of the fish while screening them for diseases before allowing them into the main display tanks.

Only after successful completion of the quarantine process will the fish be shifted to the Oceanarium's signature underwater tunnel and other exhibition tanks, they said, adding creating a sustainable marine ecosystem hundreds of kilometres away from the sea has been one of the biggest technical challenges of the project.

They further said sophisticated life-support systems have been installed to maintain water conditions almost identical to those in the natural habitat. Parameters such as salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH level and water quality will be continuously monitored and regulated to ensure the marine species remain healthy throughout their stay.

The underwater tunnel has been designed to provide visitors with an immersive experience of marine life while ensuring minimal disturbance to the aquatic environment.

The company selected for supplying live marine ornamental aquatic fish has been entrusted not only with procurement but also with maintaining the marine population during the initial years of operation, said an official of Jammu Smart City Limited, which had conceived this project few years back.

Under the agreement, the supplier will provide three-year replenishment of fish on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode, ensuring replacement of fish lost due to natural mortality and maintaining the prescribed strength and diversity of marine species throughout the contract period.

This arrangement is expected to help maintain the quality of exhibits while reducing operational risks during the initial years of the Oceanarium.

"The Oceanarium is expected to emerge as one of Jammu's biggest tourism attractions by offering an experience unavailable anywhere else in North India. Besides serving as a recreational destination, the facility is expected to promote awareness about marine biodiversity and ocean conservation while attracting students, researchers and tourists from across the country", officials of the Jammu Smart City Limited said.

"After witnessing delays because of the technical complexities involved in establishing and maintaining a marine ecosystem in a landlocked region, the project has now entered its concluding phase. If procurement, quarantine and acclimatization of the marine species proceed as scheduled, visitors are expected to walk through North India's first Oceanarium by the end of October or in the first week of November", they said.

The project was sanctioned by the Board of Directors of Jammu Smart City Limited (JSCL) during its 11th meeting in December 2021. The project is Phase-II of Aquarium-cum-Awareness Centre.

While an Aquarium typically houses a variety of freshwater and small marine species in relatively smaller tanks for educational and recreational purposes, an Oceanarium is a large-scale facility designed to simulate marine ecosystems, often featuring sharks, rays and other large sea creatures in massive saltwater enclosures.