Patna: Heavy rainfall in Nepal and Jharkhand over the past two days is causing concern in Bihar, where river levels are rising dangerously. The Gandak and Kamla Balan rivers crossed their warning marks on Thursday night. In Nepal’s Veerpur area, the Kosi river has already gone above the red mark, leading to fears of floods in districts like Supaul and Saharsa.
The situation is serious in both North and South Bihar. In South Bihar, rivers such as the North Koel, Falgu, Punpun-Morhar, and Sakri-Panchane are swelling fast due to heavy rains in their catchment areas in Jharkhand. Some areas recorded over 100 mm of rainfall. At the Mohammadganj Barrage on the North Koel River, 2.14 lakh cusecs of water was recorded — a level usually seen only during peak monsoon months.
This is a big change compared to last year, when the same barrage had very little water during June. The highest discharge in 2023 was only 82,000 cusecs, while this year it has already crossed 2 lakh cusecs. In 2024, the barrage had seen a record 2.79 lakh cusecs in September.
River levels are rising rapidly in North Bihar too. In Gopalganj, the Gandak is 22 cm above the warning level, while in Madhubani, the Kamla Balan is 24 cm above. Last year, these rivers were flowing much below danger levels. With more rain expected, the risk of floods in many districts remains high, and people are being advised to stay alert.
