Ganga at Gandhi Ghat exceeds its 2016 record as 19.57 lakh people flood in Bihar

The Ganga at Gandhi Ghat in Patna was flowing at 50.57 metres at 6 a.m. on 7 September. That is 0.05 metres above the previous highest flood level of 50.52 metres, set on 21 August 2016. At Pandarak, also in Patna district, the river stood at 43.92 metres, 0.19 metres above the 16 August 2021 mark of 43.73 metres. The Water Resources Department described the Gandhi Ghat trend as stable and warned that Hathidah could pass its own record within one to three days.

Bihar's Disaster Management Department said about 19.57 lakh people in 330 gram panchayats across 66 blocks in 11 districts were affected by waterlogging. The districts named were Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Buxar, Samastipur, Munger, Katihar and Arwal. Some later tallies added Lakhisarai and put the affected population above 22 lakh in 12 districts. Downstream stations at Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar were told to raise vigilance.

Rivers above danger level include the Gandak at Dumariaghat and Hajipur, the Kosi at Baltara and Kursela, the Budhi Gandak at Khagaria, the Ganga at Hathidah, Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon, Buxar and Munger, the Punpun at Sripalpur, the Bagmati at Benibad and the Ghaghra at Darauli. Discharge at Valmikinagar barrage on the Gandak was 1,29,000 cusecs and described as stable. All 36 gates of that barrage had been opened earlier to pass a surge. Release from Indrapuri barrage on the Sone eased slightly, which gave Patna a thin margin.

Ten National Disaster Response Force teams and 27 State Disaster Response Force teams are in the field. Authorities reported 1,345 boats on evacuation duty in one count and nearly 700 in another, a gap that reflects how fast local tallies move. One hundred and ten community kitchens are running. Administrators were told to stop overloaded boats and to keep riverbank villages informed as the crest travels east.

The Ganga's rise at Patna is not only local rain. Water and debris from the Nepal floods of 26 August have reached Bihar, including animal carcasses. The same Himalayan system that buried the Bhotekoshi is now in the Ganga, Kosi, Gandak, Bagmati and Adhwara. That is why a record at Gandhi Ghat on a Monday morning is a forecast for Bhagalpur and Katihar later in the week.

Patna has seen high water before. The 2016 mark that just fell was itself a ten-year reference. What is new is the combination: a record in the state capital, a second record at Pandarak, a warning for Hathidah, and a list of six named rivers above danger at the same time. If Hathidah goes through its old high, the districts already on watch will take the next increment of that water. The department's three-day window is the period that will show whether 50.57 metres was a peak or a step.