Following a recurrence of heavy rains in Nepal’s catchment areas, the Gandak River, known as Narayani in Nepal, is in spate, having breached at least three embankments in the past two days along the Indo-Nepal border in Bihar’s West Champaran district, distressing beleaguered residents. The embankments breached between Monday night (September 28, 2026) and Tuesday (September 29, 2026) morning have inundated low-lying areas and agricultural fields as well as Bagaha town.
Following a record discharge of 5.43 lakh cusecs of water from the Valmikinagar barrage on Monday (September 28, 2026), water gushed over the Kharatwa Daroga Chowk under the Singhari Pipariya panchayat of Bagaha that night. The second breach was reported from Phulia Khad village in Bairia block. The third embankment was breached on Tuesday (September 29, 2026) morning near the Makari Tesarahiya village of West Champaran district, following which around half-a-dozen surrounding villages, including Chakhani, Rjwatia, Pipariya, Bargaon, Belwa, Dumaria, Patilar, Ratwal, and Lagunaha, were flooded.
A ring bandha (embankment) near Pandey Tola in Shreya Panchayat of the Areraj Block in East Champaran district, and the embankment on the Gandak river at Baikunthpur in Gopalganj and Maker in the adjoining district of Saran, were also breached in the early hours of September 30, according to some reports.
The swollen floodwaters of the Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati, and Sone rivers have been surging with fury in Bihar’s border districts, including West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Supaul, Khagaria, and Saharsa.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has been conducting regular aerial surveys of the affected areas, and directing senior district officials to reach relief and rescue measures to marooned people speedily. On Wednesday (September 30, 2026), too, Mr. Choudhary conducted an aerial survey of West Champaran district, and issued directions.
Many affected families have taken shelter in the elevated sections of the embankments in West Champaran. “Destiny has played a cruel joke on us by flooding our villages and homes,” Sanjay Dubey of Bagaha, who had taken shelter higher up on an embankment, said.
In some places, villagers have broken embankments to release floodwaters over a larger area for minimising damage, reports said. The district administration has launched day-night patrolling of the embankments.
One company each of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has been dispatched to the affected areas. “Two companies of NDRF and SDRF are already staying put in the Champaran districts to meet any even eventualities,” Principal Secretary, Bihar Disaster Management Department, Santosh Kumar Mall, said.
Water levels are showing a declining trend, bringing relief to the residents of the affected areas, officials said. Black tarpaulin sheets have been distributed in affected villages.
“The administrations of adjoining districts, too, are on high alert following the surge in river waters,” an official of the Disaster Management Department said.
Relief camps, including one at a high school in Bathana village of Bairiya block, have been set up. “Twenty-three community kitchens are running all across West Champaran district,” Taranjot Singh, District Magistrate, said. There was some improvement in the situation in the Bagaha Subdivision, where water had entered several areas in the town, he added.
Earlier, the Ganga river and and its tributaries had flooded several areas, including Punpun and Hatidah in Patna district. Floodwaters had receded without major casualties in the following days.
Heavy rain in the catchment areas of neighbouring Nepal has led to floods in several districts of Bihar more than once this monsoon.
Published – September 30, 2026 02:54 pm IST
