In Bihar, rivers have become a significant threat to people's lives. The overflowing rivers have made survival difficult, creating chaos everywhere. People are desperately using makeshift boats and various methods to save themselves. Thirteen districts are facing extremely dangerous conditions. Recently, water infiltrated the Baku Power Plant in Katra, Muzaffarpur, due to the breaching of several river embankments. These breaches have also impacted districts near the India-Nepal border.
Source: aajtak
According to the agency, officials reported that on Sunday, the embankment of the Bagmati River cracked in Madhaul village of Sitamarhi, while high water pressure damaged the left embankment of the Gandak River in West Champaran, leading to floodwaters entering the Valmiki Tiger Reserve.
Continuous rainfall over the past few days has caused water levels to rise in rivers like Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati, Budhi Gandak, Kamla Balan, Mahananda, and Ganga across the state.
The Bihar government issued a flood warning on Saturday for the northern and central parts of the state around the swelling rivers like Kosi, Gandak, and Ganga after water was released from Valmikinagar and Birpur Barrage. This release could worsen the condition of more than 1.6 million people across 13 districts already affected by flooding due to heavy rainfall.
Relief from Rain in Nepal
With the rain subsiding in Nepal, there's a glimmer of hope for Bihar. The discharge from Valmikinagar Gandak Barrage reduced to 189,000 cusecs this morning. The reduced discharge has lowered the threat level. In the past three days, water from the Gandak River had spread across many districts in Bihar, affecting millions of people.
The state Water Resources Department (WRD) stated, "Due to heavy rainfall in Nepal, the flow of water in rivers like Gandak, Kosi, and Mahananda significantly increased on Saturday."
Read more: Fodder Shortage for Livestock, Threat of Famine
Principal Secretary of the state Water Resources Department, Santosh Kumar Mall, mentioned that a total of 579,000 cusecs of water was released from the Birpur Barrage on the Kosi River till Sunday evening, which is the highest in 56 years. The agency reported him saying, "All precautionary measures are being ensured for the safety of embankments. The last highest discharge from this barrage was in 1968, with 788,000 cusecs."
Similarly, 538,000 cusecs of water had been released from the Valmikinagar Barrage by 7 PM on Sunday, the highest discharge following 639,000 cusecs released in 2003. Traffic has been halted near the Kosi Barrage as a precaution.
Heavy Rain Warning
Officials reported that with large amounts of water being released from these barrages, excess river water has entered low-lying areas in Western and Eastern Champaran, Gopalganj, Araria, Supaul, Katihar, Purnia, and several other districts. Bihar has issued an alert for several districts due to the predicted heavy rainfall and possible sudden flooding in parts of the state.
Read more: Udit Narayan on Bihar Floods - Sleepless Nights, Tears and Despair
In a bulletin issued on Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted heavy rainfall in Western and Eastern Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Patna, Jehanabad, Madhubani, and Bhojpur districts.
After heavy rainfall in Gopalganj, water entered the government hospital. The state disaster management department has instructed district administrations to remain alert and take precautionary measures in light of weather forecasts.
Officials revealed that around 13 districts along the Ganga – including Buxar, Bhojpur, Saran, Patna, Samastipur, Begusarai, Munger, and Bhagalpur – are already experiencing flood-like scenarios. The rising water levels have affected nearly 1.35 million people living in low-lying areas.
