Home / Disasters and Accidents / Gandak Breaches Worsen Bihar Floods, Villages Submerged
Gandak Breaches Worsen Bihar Floods, Villages Submerged
1 Oct
Summary
- Gandak river breaches cause more embankments to fail in Bihar.
- Over 200 villages inundated, standing crops damaged by floods.
- IAF choppers airdrop dry rations to affected populations.
The flood situation in north Bihar has significantly worsened as the swollen Gandak river breached embankments at two additional locations in Saran and Muzaffarpur. These new breaches bring the total to eight in the Champaran and Saran regions within four days. Consequently, more than 200 villages have been inundated, leading to substantial damage to standing paddy and other kharif crops.
Rescue and relief operations are being stepped up by the state government. Two Indian Air Force choppers conducted sorties from Patna to airdrop dry ration packets, containing items like gram, sattu, and ORS, to flood-affected people in Panapur block of Saran. This measure was initiated after an assessment of the impact of the embankment breach.
The Gandak river continues to flow above its highest flood level in several districts, including Gopalganj, Saran, and Vaishali. Floodwaters have inundated villages and agricultural land in Saran, with some houses submerged. In Muzaffarpur, a breach occurred in the ring bund protecting the Tirhut main embankment, and floodwaters have also overtopped the Muzaffarpur-Chapra NH-722.
Meanwhile, the rising Ganga river is exacerbating the crisis, with its backflow slowing the fall of the Gandak. The Ganga is flowing significantly above danger levels in several areas. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has directed officials to remain on high alert for the next 48 hours, ensuring the rescue of marooned individuals and the supply of relief materials, with IAF support already requisitioned.
