Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary lies on the western bank of the Ganga River at an elevation of 130–150 m (430–490 ft). Tall wet grasslands dominate in low-lying areas and are inundated most of the year. Short wet grasslands are dry from winter to the onset of the monsoon.[1] Dry scrub grasslands dominate on elevated alluvial deposition. Swamps and marshes are present between elevated grounds and the sandy bed of the Ganges. A large part of the sanctuary is settled and under cultivation.[2]Sugarcane, rice, wheat, maize and cucurbits are the major cultivated crops.[4]
The sanctuary is named for the ancient city of Hastinapur, which lies on west bank of the Boodhi Ganga.
Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary occupies an extremely large area spreading on both sides of the Ganges river. Wildlife Institute of India officials opined in 2020 that the sanctuary should be reduced to half of its present area of 1,094 km (680 mi), because it comprises many agricultural fields; other activists think that the agricultural part should be added to the sanctuary's buffer zone so that farmers would not sell their land for conversion to residential areas.[6]