Son Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary

The Son Gharial Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary established in 1981 under Project Crocodile for the conservation of gharials. The sanctuary covers three rivers and their banks. Out of the total length of 210 km, 161 km is the Sone River, 23 km is the Banas River, and 26 km is the Gopad River. The boundary of the sanctuary starts where the Bansagar Dam is located and ends at the village of Piparghar. Total area of the sanctuary is . ==History==

Recognizing the importance of conserving riverine fauna including the Gharial, the Government of Madhya Pradesh declared the area comprising the Son River and its main two tributaries as the Son Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary by an order dated 23 September 1981. The then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Arjun Singh, officially inaugurated the sanctuary on 11 October 1981 by releasing a pair of Muggar and a pair of Gharial into the Sone River. ==Flora and fauna==

The rivers, its small islands and sandbanks are important habitats for several endangered and vulnerable species such as the gharial, Mugger crocodile and Indian softshell turtle. Of the 111 species of birds have been recorded in the sanctuary, seven species are near threatened, and ten are threatened. ==Threats==

Illegal sand mining, illegal constructions, and uneven flow of water from the dam have led to a decline in the number of gharials in the wildlife sanctuary. Their number has decreased from 72 in 2016 to 20 in 2021. Following this, in 2023, the National Green Tribunal had ordered the submission of an investigation report on this matter. ==To reach here==

The nearest town for Son Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary is Sidhi which is 6 km away, nearest railway station is Salno which is 140 km away and nearest airport is Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh which is 228 km away. ==References==