Bihar on alert amid heavy rain forecast

Due to incessant rainfall in the catchment areas of ​​the Gandak River in Nepal, border districts and areas vulnerable to the Gandak, Bagmati, and Kosi rivers in Bihar have been instructed to remain on high alert.Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit on Saturday (September 26, 2026) chaired a high-level review meeting along with officials of the Disaster Management Department, Water Resources Department, and District Magistrates (DMs) of 17 districts through video conferencing.Districts put on high alert include Sitamarhi, West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Vaishali, Gopalganj, Saran, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Saharsa, Supaul, Madhepura, Katihar, Khagaria, and Begusarai. Instructions have been issued to maintain special surveillance in these districts and other vulnerable areas.District Magistrates were directed to ensure the continuous monitoring of river water levels, low-lying areas, embankments, riverside villages, bridges and culverts, and connecting roads. Instructions have been issued to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to remain alert to effectively handle any potential situation. Additionally, orders have been given to ensure the availability and readiness of adequate numbers of boats, life jackets, rescue equipment, and other essential resources across all concerned districts.Directives have also been issued to widely disseminate early warnings via public announcements (miking) in potentially affected areas and to ensure the timely relocation of affected populations to safe locations if the need arises.Instructions have been given to maintain continuous coordination and communication among the district administration, police, Water Resources Department, Disaster Management Department, and other relevant departments.“All available resources are being kept in standby or active mode so that rescue and relief operations can commence immediately if required. The State government is continuously monitoring the situation. The administration is fully alert, and necessary rescue and relief resources are already being deployed in vulnerable areas. For any emergency assistance, the Disaster Management Department’s toll-free number, 1070, can be contacted,” said a senior official present in the meeting.Mr. Amrit instructed all DMs to keep public representatives and the general public informed through regular press conferences and to clarify that there is no cause for panic or belief in rumours regarding the current situation.According to the Bihar Weather Service Centre, rainfall of 212.0 mm has been recorded so far in September, which is 10% above normal. Also, as per the Central Water Commission, Gandak, Kosi, and Bagmati are flowing above the danger mark at several places.Today, the water discharge at the Gandak Barrage and Indrapuri Barrage was recorded 2,88,800 cusecs and 43,565 cusecs, respectively, and the trend is rising. Similarly, the discharge at the Kosi Barrage was recorded at 3,03,795 cusecs, and the trend is stable.Due to the rise in water levels of various rivers, nearly 50.49 lakh people have been affected by floods across 578 Gram Panchayats in 15 districts in Bihar, namely Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Buxar, Samastipur, Munger, Katihar, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Purnia, Madhepura, and Arwal.