Flooding intensified across Patna and several adjoining districts on Sunday as the Ganga and its tributaries, including the Punpun and Dardha, continued to rise following heavy rainfall in Bihar and neighbouring Jharkhand.
The Ganga crossed its previous highest flood level (HFL) at several locations in Patna. At Gandhi Ghat, the river reached 50.57 metres, surpassing the August 2016 record by 0.05 metres. Levels also exceeded previous highs at Pandarak, Danapur and Banka Ghat, prompting authorities to closely monitor downstream areas such as Hathidah.
Several other rivers, including the Gandak, Kosi, Budhi Gandak, Punpun, Bagmati and Ghaghra, were also flowing above danger levels.
Rail Services Hit
The rising floodwaters have severely disrupted railway operations. Train services on the Patna-Gaya section were completely suspended after the Punpun river partially submerged the girder of a bridge near Punpun Ghat station.
Local train services have been suspended, while several express trains have been cancelled or diverted by the East Central Railway (ECR).
According to the Disaster Management Department’s evening update, around 2.24 million people across 12 districts have been affected by the floods. The affected districts include Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Buxar, Samastipur, Munger, Katihar, Lakhisarai and Arwal, covering 70 blocks and 368-gram panchayats.
The situation has been further worsened by breaches in embankments and ring bunds. In Patna’s Masaurhi block, structures at Isarchak, Vishwambharpur, Chandchak, Chamarachakia and Pauma gave way under pressure from the swollen Punpun and its tributaries, Dardha and Lokain.
Officials said high water releases from the Indrapuri barrage on the Sone, combined with the rising Ganga, have added to the pressure on flood-control structures, raising concerns about further flooding in the region.
