The Gandak river continued to flow above its previous Highest Flood Level (HFL) at several locations in Bihar on Thursday following heavy rainfall in Nepal and UP, putting embankments at risk, the Water Resources Department (WRD) said.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary inspected the situation along the bank of the Ganga in Patna and directed officials to ensure public safety.
Gandak remains above previous flood level
At Dumariaghat in Gopalganj, the water level of Gandak remained around 22 cm above its previous all-time HFL for nearly 36 hours, while at Revaghat in Saran and Lalganj in Vaishali, it remained around 22 cm above the previous HFL for nearly 21 hours, the WRD said in a statement.
The situation has resulted in extremely high pressure on both the left and right embankments, it said.
A breach occurred in the right embankment in Panapur block of Saran district on Wednesday night, while a ring embankment of the Tirhut Main Embankment in Sahebganj block of Muzaffarpur district also breached, according to the statement.
Ganga backflow adds to pressure
"The Ganga is also flowing above the danger mark, creating backflow pressure in the Gandak and further aggravating the situation. Seepage and piping have been reported at several vulnerable points, where intensive flood-fighting and round-the-clock monitoring are underway," it said.
Although the Gandak water level has started receding, it remains above the previous HFL and hydraulic pressure is expected to persist for the next 48 hours, the department said, adding that other vulnerable locations were safe and under control.
Water levels in several other rivers, including the Bagmati, Burhi Gandak and Ghagra, continued to rise at a number of monitoring stations, according to the WRD.
Several rivers continue to rise
The Bagmati was rising at Benibad, where the water level reached 50.03 metres, 1.35 metres above the danger mark, while it was receding at Kataunjha. The Burhi Gandak was rising at Khagaria, with the water level at 36.96 metres, 0.38 metres above the danger level.
The Ganga was also rising at Digha, Gandhi Ghat and Hathidah in Patna and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur. The water level at Gandhi Ghat stood at 49.67 metres, 1.07 metres above the danger mark, while Hathidah recorded 42.49 metres, 0.73 metres above the danger level.
At the barrages, the Gandak discharge at Valmikinagar was 95,340 cusecs at 8 am on Thursday, down from 99,505 cusecs at 8 pm on Wednesday. The Kosi discharge at Birpur fell to 46,743 cusecs from 67,564 cusecs, while the Sone discharge at Indrapuri Barrage declined to 1,02,100 cusecs from 1,14,000 cusecs during the same period.
The Gandak recorded its highest flood discharge of 2026 at 5,43,500 cusecs at Valmikinagar on September 28, while the Kosi's peak discharge was 3,13,595 cusecs at Birpur on September 26.
Rising water levels in several rivers have affected low-lying areas in several districts, including Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, East and West Champaran, Gopalganj and Supaul.