Bihar Floods: Ganga Breaches Historic Peak, Relief Efforts Scaled Up

At Patna's Gandhi Ghat, the Ganga has crossed the danger mark and is flowing close to its Highest Flood Level (HFL), triggering heightened vigilance by the state government and the Disaster Management Department. Authorities have issued alerts and stepped up monitoring in vulnerable areas.

How this compares to the last record: Gandhi Ghat's danger level is set at 48.60 metres, and its previous highest-ever flood level — recorded in 2016 — stood at 50.52 metres. Deputy Chief Minister and Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said the Ganga surpassed that 2016 peak at around 10.30 am on Saturday, meaning the river is now at its highest recorded level at this site in at least a decade. The 2016 flood, for context, affected roughly 23.71 lakh people across Bihar and caused 22 deaths, with over a lakh people evacuated to safer ground — giving a sense of the scale authorities are now bracing to exceed.

Chaudhary reviewed the situation with senior officials on Saturday and directed them to maintain strict surveillance along riverbanks and embankments, alert residents in vulnerable areas, and ensure prompt preventive measures. District-level teams have been asked to conduct continuous patrolling of sensitive locations, with officials stationed at vulnerable points and the administration stating it is fully prepared to handle any emergency.

Several major rivers besides the Ganga — including the Gandak, Kosi, Burhi Gandak, Punpun and Ghaghara — are flowing above the danger mark at multiple locations. The Ganga remains above danger level at Digha, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah, Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon, Buxar and Munger; the Gandak has crossed the mark at Dumaria Ghat and Hajipur; the Kosi at Baltara and Kursela; the Burhi Gandak at Khagaria; the Punpun at Sripalpur; and the Ghaghara at Darauli.

Relief efforts have been scaled up accordingly. In Bhagalpur, six community kitchens are serving around 5,000 people, having distributed over 70,600 meals so far. Bhojpur has 13 kitchens catering to nearly 2.84 lakh affected people across four blocks, while Patna has eight kitchens serving about 2.32 lakh people across nine blocks, with additional centres opened at seven new locations in the state capital. Saran's kitchens are serving around 20,000 residents.

In Vaishali, relief assistance is reaching nearly 85,000 people, with 326 residents shifted to a special relief camp. The government is operating 693 boats for evacuation and transport across affected districts — Vaishali leads with 155 boats, followed by Samastipur (88), Bhojpur (87), Patna (70), Madhepura (58), Khagaria (43) and Purnea (35).

Relief materials and evacuation arrangements are also being mobilised in Arwal, Buxar, Begusarai, Samastipur, Khagaria, Munger and Katihar, with authorities maintaining continuous surveillance as river levels remain on an upward trend.

For residents in affected areas: Bihar's State Emergency Operation Centre can be reached at 1070 for assistance during flooding.