The Gandak River has swelled to the highest level ever recorded at Bagaha in Bihar's West Champaran district, breaching embankments and placing several districts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on flood alert.
The Water Resources Department in Bihar said the river reached 91.25 metres at the Bagaha gauge site — a new Highest Flood Level that surpasses the previous record of 90.90 metres set in 2024 by 35 centimetres. A massive discharge of 5,43,500 cusecs was recorded at the Valmikinagar Gandak Barrage at 6 am on Tuesday. The discharge stayed above 5 lakh cusecs for 13 hours and above 4 lakh cusecs for 32 hours, the department said, sending floodwaters surging through West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali.
Three breaches in overnight hours
The surge was triggered by heavy, short-duration rainfall in the Nepalese catchment of the Gandak basin, following the recent floods in Nepal. Although the peak discharge was slightly lower than the 2024 record of 5,62,500 cusecs, the pressure on embankments caused widespread seepage, piping and overtopping.
Field teams secured 169 seepage and piping points through emergency repairs, but critical breaches occurred at three sites during the midnight hours between September 28 and 29. Two breaches were recorded on the left bank of the Champaran embankment — a roughly 10-metre breach caused by sudden subsidence at Khairatwa village in Bagaha-1 block, and another at Phuliyakhar village in Bairia block. A third breach was reported on the river's right bank in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district.
Low-lying areas around Agastya, Khairatwa and Chandrapur villages face potential inundation, and the spilling water is expected to re-enter the river around the 9.50 km mark, officials said.
Water levels now receding
There is some relief in the numbers. By 8 am on Tuesday, downstream discharge at the Valmikinagar Barrage had fallen to 1,91,200 cusecs, and the Devghat gauge station in Nepal reported a falling discharge of 2,19,677 cusecs, indicating a clear receding trend upstream.
The department has dispatched four executive-engineer-led response teams overnight to Bagaha, Bettiah, Motihari and Gopalganj to oversee breach repairs and anti-erosion work, while senior officials continue round-the-clock monitoring. Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas and directed officials to intensify relief and rescue preparations.
Sources: The Indian Express — Flood threat in several Bihar, UP districts as Nepal rains trigger breach in Gandak embankment; Hindustan Times — Amid massive floods, Bihar's Gandak river swells after Nepal rain fury
The Water Resources Department in Bihar said the river reached 91.25 metres at the Bagaha gauge site — a new Highest Flood Level that surpasses the previous record of 90.90 metres set in 2024 by 35 centimetres. A massive discharge of 5,43,500 cusecs was recorded at the Valmikinagar Gandak Barrage at 6 am on Tuesday. The discharge stayed above 5 lakh cusecs for 13 hours and above 4 lakh cusecs for 32 hours, the department said, sending floodwaters surging through West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali.
Three breaches in overnight hours
The surge was triggered by heavy, short-duration rainfall in the Nepalese catchment of the Gandak basin, following the recent floods in Nepal. Although the peak discharge was slightly lower than the 2024 record of 5,62,500 cusecs, the pressure on embankments caused widespread seepage, piping and overtopping.
Field teams secured 169 seepage and piping points through emergency repairs, but critical breaches occurred at three sites during the midnight hours between September 28 and 29. Two breaches were recorded on the left bank of the Champaran embankment — a roughly 10-metre breach caused by sudden subsidence at Khairatwa village in Bagaha-1 block, and another at Phuliyakhar village in Bairia block. A third breach was reported on the river's right bank in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district.
Low-lying areas around Agastya, Khairatwa and Chandrapur villages face potential inundation, and the spilling water is expected to re-enter the river around the 9.50 km mark, officials said.
Water levels now receding
There is some relief in the numbers. By 8 am on Tuesday, downstream discharge at the Valmikinagar Barrage had fallen to 1,91,200 cusecs, and the Devghat gauge station in Nepal reported a falling discharge of 2,19,677 cusecs, indicating a clear receding trend upstream.
The department has dispatched four executive-engineer-led response teams overnight to Bagaha, Bettiah, Motihari and Gopalganj to oversee breach repairs and anti-erosion work, while senior officials continue round-the-clock monitoring. Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas and directed officials to intensify relief and rescue preparations.
Sources: The Indian Express — Flood threat in several Bihar, UP districts as Nepal rains trigger breach in Gandak embankment; Hindustan Times — Amid massive floods, Bihar's Gandak river swells after Nepal rain fury
