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The Gandak River in Bihar has recorded an all-time high water level of 91.25 metres at the Bagaha gauge site following intense, short-duration rainfall in the river basin in Nepal.
According to an official release from the Water Resources Department, a discharge of 5,43,500 cusecs was released from the Gandak Barrage at Valmikinagar at 6 am on September 28. The water is currently passing through the downstream districts of West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali. The discharge at the Gandak Barrage remained above 5 lakh cusecs for 13 hours and above 4 lakh cusecs for 32 hours, the release said. The Water Resources Department said significant rainfall was also recorded on September 26 and 27 in the border districts of Bihar along the Gandak River--namely West Champaran, East Champaran, and Gopalganj--causing the river's water level downstream of the Gandak Barrage to be already elevated. "It is noteworthy that although the discharge from the Gandak Barrage at Valmikinagar was slightly lower this time compared to the peak discharge of 5,62,500 cusecs recorded in 2024, the river registered a new all-time high water level of 91.25 meters at the Bagaha gauge site; this is 0.35 meters higher than the previous peak of 90.90 meters (recorded in 2024)," the release said. The massive discharge from the Gandak River has exerted immense pressure on the embankments, leading to issues such as seepage, piping, and overtopping at several locations. So far, 169 points affected by seepage or piping have been secured through immediate remedial work. Due to the rising water level of the Gandak River, the Champaran embankment--situated on the river's left bank within West Champaran district--sustained damage at two locations (Village Khairatwa in Bagaha-1 Block and Village Fuliyakhad in Bairiya Block) during the night of September 2829. Additionally, the embankment on the right bank of the Gandak River, located in the Kushinagar district (Uttar Pradesh division), was damaged at one location. Teams from the Water Resources Department and the West Champaran district administration are taking the necessary action, a release said. Field engineers are continuously engaged in flood-fighting operations, as the embankments are under significant pressure. Given the gravity of the situation, four teams led by Executive Engineers were dispatched from headquarters during the night to Bagaha, Bettiah, Motihari, and Gopalganj. Additional engineers had already been deployed to the sites in anticipation of unexpected water discharge. There is a trend of water levels receding upstream while rising downstream. Senior officials are continuously monitoring the situation, a release added. (ANI)
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