Severe Flooding in Bihar: Thousands Affected as Gandak River Swells
Flood Crisis Escalates in Bihar
Screengrab shows a house collapsing into floodwaters as heavy rainfall and aggravated flood crisis across Bihar(Source: @WeatherMonitors/X)
Patna, Oct 1: The flood situation in Bihar has significantly deteriorated due to heavy rainfall in the Gandak basin of Nepal, leading to a rapid increase in river levels and breaches in embankments at multiple sites.
Approximately 203,000 individuals across six districts have been impacted, with West Champaran, Saran, Gopalganj, and Muzaffarpur being the most severely affected regions.
The Water Resources Department reported a discharge of 543,500 cusecs at the Valmikinagar Gandak Barrage, maintaining a flow above 500,000 cusecs for several hours.
This surge has intensified pressure on embankments and low-lying areas downstream.
In Saran, the right embankment of the Gandak near Haijalpur in the Maker block suffered damage during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Reports indicated further damage near Baghakol, with floodwaters encroaching into adjacent low-lying regions.
A house in Haijalpur village was swept away by the strong current after the embankment failed.
Floodwaters have inundated several villages, forcing residents to seek refuge on embankments, rooftops, and other safer locations.
Water from the Gandak has reached the NH-722 area near Maker, disrupting transportation and raising concerns for nearby villages.
In Gopalganj's Baikunthpur block, the Bandhauli-Sheetalpur-Faizullahpur Zamindari Bund was breached at Sheetalpur due to the immense pressure from the swollen Gandak.
The initial breach was reported to be around six meters wide, threatening low-lying areas around Parsauni, Sheetalpur, and Pakhan.
The situation worsened in Muzaffarpur, where an old Gandak embankment at Jaimal Dumri in Paru block was breached, causing floodwaters to spread into nearby residential areas.
Local reports indicated that water has entered homes and roads in the affected areas, prompting the administration to ramp up rescue and monitoring efforts.
West Champaran continues to face severe challenges following breaches in the Gandak embankment system, with areas like Bagaha, Bairia, and Yogapatti experiencing significant inundation.
The Gandak river previously reached a record height of 91.25 meters at the Bagaha gauge, surpassing the previous record of 90.90 meters set in 2024.
Floodwaters have also disrupted road connectivity in various locations, affecting the Chhapra-Sattarghat route and causing water accumulation on stretches of the Areraj-Hajipur road.
Movement has been hindered in West Champaran, where floodwaters have reached the Machhargawan area.
The rising water level of the Ganga has raised additional concerns in other regions of Bihar, particularly in the Patna-Begusarai-Khagaria belt.
Several ghats in Patna have once again been impacted by the rising waters.
The expanding flood situation has increased pressure on the administration to sustain rescue operations, monitor vulnerable embankments, and ensure that relief supplies reach affected communities.
In Saran, District Magistrate Vaibhav Srivastava and SSP Roshan Kumar conducted inspections of the affected areas and instructed officials to enhance relief and rescue efforts.
With the Gandak river remaining swollen and multiple embankments under strain, authorities in the affected districts are closely monitoring river levels and vulnerable areas while continuing relief and rescue operations.