Bihar floods leave millions stranded as major rivers overflow

What happened

More than 4.6 million people across Bihar have been hit by severe monsoon flooding, with rising river levels submerging homes and fields across 15 districts.

The crisis comes despite the state experiencing a relatively dry summer. Between June and early September, Bihar actually recorded rainfall that was 27 percent below normal. However, a sudden deluge this month—with September rainfall running 20 percent above average—combined with heavy downpours in the catchment areas of neighbouring Nepal, has overwhelmed the region’s river systems.

Compounding the crisis is a phenomenon known as the "backwater effect". Because the Ganga is flowing exceptionally high, its tributaries, including the Gandak and Punpun, cannot easily discharge their water. Instead, the water is backing up, causing rivers to burst their banks and flood low-lying areas.

Who is affected

According to the Bihar Disaster Management Department, the Ganga is flowing above the danger mark at several critical points, including Patna, Munger, and Sultanganj. Other major rivers, including the Kosi, Burhi Gandak, and Ghaghra, are also running dangerously high. On Friday evening, the department reported that water discharge from the Kosi river at the Birpur Barrage had reached more than 141,000 cusecs and was continuing to rise.

The worst-affected districts include Bhagalpur, Patna, Saran, Vaishali, Begusarai, Katihar, Purnea, and Buxar. In total, 15 districts have been hit by the rising waters, displacing families and isolating communities.

What is being done

The state government has deployed 27 teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and 10 from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to manage evacuations and distribute aid. Officials said between 1,800 and 1,900 boats are currently operating across the flooded districts to rescue stranded residents and maintain basic transport links where roads have been washed away.

Providing food and shelter to the displaced is now the primary challenge. The Disaster Management Department has set up 15 temporary relief camps, housing more than 11,000 people. To feed those who have lost their homes, the state has opened around 1,200 community kitchens, which have served millions of meals. Rescue workers have also distributed hundreds of thousands of polythene sheets for temporary shelter, alongside some 48,000 dry-ration packets and thousands of quintals of animal fodder for affected livestock.

What happens next

While the Ganga has begun to recede slightly at Sultanganj, the relief is likely to be temporary. The Bihar Meteorological Service Centre has forecast light to moderate rainfall across much of the state over the coming days, with heavy downpours expected in isolated pockets.

Longer-term, the disaster has renewed a debate over how Bihar manages its waters. Some analysts argue that the state’s heavy reliance on embankments has backfired by raising riverbeds with silt and preventing rivers from naturally spreading into their floodplains. There are also growing calls for better trans-boundary cooperation on reservoir releases, particularly ahead of the renegotiation of the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty between India and Bangladesh, which is set to expire in December.