Sahibganj's Ganga set to become Jharkhand's first Dolphin sanctuary

Ranchi, Oct. 11 -- Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has approved the proposal to establish the state's first Dolphin sanctuary along the Ganga in Sahibganj, paving the way for a major step in river wildlife conservation.

The proposal, cleared by the State Wildlife Board and now awaiting Cabinet approval, will make Sahibganj the country's second official dolphin sanctuary after 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 June 2025 survey by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, recorded an average of 2.88 dolphins per kilometre along the 89...