Floods Worsen in Bihar as Water Released from Kosi and Gandak Barrages

Chirag Gupta

Patna: Heavy rainfall in Nepal has caused severe flooding in 12 districts of Bihar, affecting over 1.41 lakh people across 140 panchayats. With more water flowing from Nepal, the situation is expected to worsen, potentially increasing pressure on dams. On Saturday, 6 lakh cusecs of water were released from the Kosi Barrage, marking the second-highest discharge in 56 years, leading to water rising on the barrage for the first time in Veerpur. Traffic had to be halted, and all 56 gates of the barrage were opened. Additionally, 5.62 lakh cusecs of water were released from the Gandak Barrage in Valmiki Nagar by Saturday night.

A heavy rain alert has been issued for 13 districts, including Patna, with rainfall expected to continue for the next two days. Monsoon activity is likely to persist for five more days. In the past three days, Bihar has received 674 mm of rainfall, reducing the rain deficit from 28% to 20%. On Sunday, Valmiki Nagar recorded 230 mm of rain, and Motihari saw 202.6 mm. Rising water levels of the Ganga and Punpun rivers have also prompted warnings, particularly in Patna.

Several rivers across the state are now flowing above the danger mark, with East Champaran, West Champaran, Araria, Kishanganj, Gopalganj, Shivhar, Sitamarhi, Supaul, Vaishali, Siwan, Madhepura, Muzaffarpur, Purnia, and Madhubani districts being the most affected. Villages have been submerged, and local administrations are advising residents near embankments to move to safer areas. In lightning-related incidents, three people lost their lives, including a 17-year-old girl from Ariyari, a farmer from Bhojpur, and another farmer from Kaimur. In Gopalganj, a horse was also killed by lightning.

The Water Resources Department has issued instructions for continuous monitoring over the next 72 hours, cancelling the leave of engineers to ensure they remain on the field. Water levels in various rivers, including Kosi, Gandak, Ganga, and Bagmati, are expected to rise further in the coming days.