Deadly flooding in Bihar, India, has turned record-breaking river levels into a deepening human crisis, with five drowning deaths confirmed in Patna district as communities remain cut off by high water and major rivers continue to threaten more towns and villages.
The broader flood emergency, reported by The Watchers, has seen the Ganges River rise past previous highest flood levels at multiple monitoring stations.
Here's what to know
Access remained badly disrupted across parts of Patna district, with diara panchayats in Maner, Danapur, Raghopur, and Panapur surrounded by floodwater and village links to district headquarters cut in Mokama, Athmalgola, Fatuha, and Bakhtiyarpur.
Official reports confirmed five drowning fatalities connected to the flooding, including three victims in Maner and two in Danapur.
By 6 a.m. local time on September 6, the Ganges had set new highs at two key stations. At Pandarak, the river reached 144.1 feet (43.92 meters), topping the previous mark of 143.5 feet (43.73 meters) recorded on August 16, 2021. In Patna at Gandhi Ghat, it climbed to 165.9 feet (50.57 meters), surpassing the earlier record of 165.7 feet (50.52 meters) from August 21, 2016.
Bhagalpur district saw another milestone on September 8, when Bihar's real-time flood-monitoring system showed the Ganges at Sultanganj at 120.77 feet (36.81 meters) at 3 p.m. local time, above the station's previous peak of 120.57 feet (36.75 meters).
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Conditions along the river were mixed on September 8. Gandhi Ghat, Buxar, and Munger were receding, while Bhagalpur was steady and Kahalgaon was still rising. Sultanganj also remained above its earlier highest flood level.
More background
All 10 people aboard a boat in Bhagalpur district were rescued after it overturned on September 8 in the flood-hit Kharik-Raghopur area. The boat was carrying fodder on the Ganges at Raghopur Diara in Naugachia block when it capsized.
In Saran district, flood defenses also took damage. Akashvani reported on September 5 that a 66-foot (20-meter) stretch of the Mahi River embankment near Trilokchak had been damaged. Later reports said Mahi floodwater inundated more than 12 villages near Semrahia, and that a ring bund on the Daha River was breached near Imadpur Bind Toli, affecting additional settlements.
What's being done?
Emergency response teams are already active in multiple areas. SDRF personnel rescued all 10 people from the capsized boat in Bhagalpur district, and an SDRF team was also deployed after embankment damage near Trilokchak in Saran district.
Authorities continue to monitor river conditions in real time across Bihar, with some gauges falling, Bhagalpur steady, and Kahalgaon still rising.
The India Meteorological Department's Meteorological Centre Patna kept Bihar under a heavy-rain warning on September 8, and also forecast heavy rain for September 9 and September 10, along with thunderstorms, lightning, and squally weather.
With parts of Bihar still cut off, rivers above danger levels, and more rain in the forecast, the crisis remains ongoing even where waters have started to recede. Record gauges, damaged infrastructure, and deadly conditions have compounded the danger across an already saturated region.
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