Gandak river hits record level after Nepal rains, embankments damaged in Bihar

The Gandak river in Bihar reached a record water level on Tuesday following heavy rainfall in Nepal, damaging embankments in West Champaran district and raising the risk of further flooding in the state, which is already dealing with a major flood situation.

According to the Water Resources Department, the Gandak reached 91.25 metres at Bagaha after the heavy rains in Nepal. The level was 0.35 metres higher than the previous record recorded in 2024.

The department said excessive water released from the Valmikinagar barrage, following intense rainfall in Nepal, damaged two sections of the Champaran embankment overnight. The affected stretches are located at Khairatwa in Bagaha-1 and Phuliyakhad in Bairia, both on the left bank of the Gandak.

So far, 169 seepage points along the embankments have been repaired, the department said. Four teams have also been deployed to Bagaha, Bettiah, Motihari and Gopalganj as the embankments continue to face heavy water pressure.

The Valmikinagar barrage recorded a discharge of 5,43,500 cusecs at 6 am on Monday. The discharge remained above 5 lakh cusecs for 13 hours and crossed 4 lakh cusecs for 32 hours. 

"At the Gandak Barrage in Valmikinagar, the discharge stood at 1,86,200 cusecs at 10 am, down from 1,91,200 cusecs at 8 am on Monday. At Kosi Barrage in Birpur, it was 1,20,055 cusecs at 10 am and 1,51,116 cusecs at the Sone Barrage in Indrapuri, the department said.  (with inputs from PTI)