Flood in Bihar: Danger mark crossed in 6 areas, water level reached warning level in many areas

Patna: Bihar is once again in the grip of a major crisis due to rising water level and helpless system. Ganga has crossed the danger mark, affecting more than nine districts of the state. According to the Central Water Commission, 6 river-monitoring stations have crossed the danger mark and nine stations have crossed the warning level.

Major river stations like Buxar, Gandhi Ghat (Patna), Hathidah and Kahalgaon (Bhagalpur) have already crossed the danger line. Meanwhile, stations in Vaishali, Munger, Katihar and other districts remain above the warning mark. Some neighbouring districts like Ballia in Uttar Pradesh and Sahibganj in Jharkhand are also facing flood-like situation due to the rising water of Ganga.

The water level of Ganga did not rise suddenly. According to the hydrograph made by CWC, at Gandhi Ghat, the water level increased by 50 cm in just three days. A similar trend was observed at Kahalgaon station in Bhagalpur district, where the water level rose by 30 cm, and Kursela station in Katihar district, where it rose by 28 cm. These trends indicate a rise in water level, which could lead to an increase in flood levels.

Satellite images show that about 15 per cent of Patna district is flooded. In Bhagalpur, the affected area is slightly higher at 15.7 per cent. About 6.4 per cent of Begusarai’s ground area is flooded, while in Khagaria, 8.5 per cent area is currently flooded.

Roads have been submerged in many areas, villages have been flooded and daily life has been disrupted. More than 50 houses were washed away after the river overflowed in Jawaniya village in Bhojpur, while in Khagaria, students are reaching school using boats. The state government has deployed engineers of the water resources department and the State Disaster Response Force to deal with the situation.

But the situation has become more tense due to the ongoing rains in Nepal and other upstream areas, which may increase the water level of the river and worsen the flood situation.