About Gangetic Dolphin

Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary

Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary is located in Bhagalpur District of Bihar, India. The sanctuary is a 60 kilometers stretch of the Ganges River from Sultanganj to Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district. notified as Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in 1991, it is the protected area for the endangered Gangetic dolphins in Asia. Once found in abundance, only a few hundred remain, of which half are found here.

The Gangetic Dolphin have been declared as the national aquatic animal of India.[1] This decision was taken in the first meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Monday, 5 October 2009.

Introduction

The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS) has been notified for the protection and conservation of Gangetic dolphin in the 60 km stretch of the Ganga river from Sultanganj to Kahalgaon under the provisions of Wildlife (Protection), Act 1972. Being a riverine habitat, its boundary and expanse keep on changing due to changing geomorphology of the Ganga river. The sanctuary has been named after the famous archaeological remains of Vikramshila University that was once a famous center of Buddhist learning across the world along with Nalanda during the Pala dynasty. Sultanganj, famous as an important religious centre in the Bihar, Bhagalpur famous as silk city and Kahalgaon known for the super thermal power plant of NTPC are important towns along the notified stretch of the sanctuary.

Sultanganj is a city and a notified area in Bhagalpur district, situated on the south bank of Ganga River, approximately 25 kilometers west of Bhagalpur city. Bhagalpur is a city with a Municipal Corporation situated on the southern bank of the Ganga. It is the third largest city in Bihar and the largest city in eastern Bihar. It is one of the major educational and commercial cities of this region. Area of the city is 110 square kilometers. Kahalgaon (formerly known as Colgong during British rule) is a town and a municipality in Bhagalpur district. It is located close to the archaeological remains of Vikramshila University and at the eastern end of the sanctuary bordering the state of Jharkhand. The Kahalgaon Super Thermal Power Plant, a unit of National Thermal Power Corporation is located near the town.