Sahibganj’s Ganga to be Jharkhand’s first Dolphin Sanctuary

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren has approved a proposal to establish the state's first Dolphin Sanctuary along the Ganga in Sahibganj, marking a significant step in river wildlife conservation.

- SHASHI SINGH

Cleared by the State Wildlife Board and now awaiting Cabinet approval, the proposal will make Sahibganj India's second official dolphin sanctuary, following Bihar's Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bhagalpur.

Sahibganj, the only district in Jharkhand through which the Ganga flows, has recently emerged as one of the richest habitats of the endangered Gangetic river dolphin. A survey conducted in June 2025 by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) recorded an average of 2.88 dolphins per kilometre along the 89-kilometre stretch between Rajmahal and Sahibganj. The total estimated dolphin population in this zone stands at 256.