A severe flood situation in Bihar has impacted over 22 lakh residents across 12 districts, forcing the state government to rapidly expand rescue and relief operations. The Disaster Management Department confirmed that the number of operational community kitchens was scaled up significantly from 80 to 190 in a single day to support displaced families.
Extent of Impact and Relief Mobilization The floodwaters have inundated 368 gram panchayats spread across 70 administrative blocks. The affected regions include Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Buxar, Samastipur, Munger, Katihar, Lakhisarai, and Arwal.
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To manage the humanitarian effort:
- Food Distribution: 190 community kitchens are actively serving meals to approximately 2.51 lakh displaced people.
- Evacuation & Transport: Authorities have deployed 1,429 boats alongside emergency disaster units.
- Rescue Forces: 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 27 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are stationed in vulnerable zones.
- Medical Care: 171 medical camps and multiple boat ambulances are operating on the water to provide healthcare to submerged villages.
In Saran district alone, over 2.33 lakh people across 109 villages have been affected. Local officials have evacuated 1,206 individuals, set up 21 medical camps, and deployed six boat ambulances. Specialized child-friendly activities and educational games have also been introduced at community relief camps in Sonpur. In Patna district, 25 community kitchens have served more than 70,000 residents, supported by 166 evacuation boats and 28 ambulances.
Swelling Rivers and Embankment Alerts The Water Resources Department has placed engineers on high alert along the Ganga embankments in Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Bhagalpur, and Katihar. At Hathidah, the Ganga was recorded at 43.62 metres, surpassing its previous Highest Flood Level (HFL) of 43.52 metres. Multiple other rivers, including the Kosi, Budhi Gandak, Punpun, and Bagmati, continue to flow above danger marks at key monitoring locations.
Emergency crews in Dighwara and Dariyapur are working on a war footing to repair temporary cracks appearing on local embankments.
Political Demands and Weather Outlook Highlighting the extensive damage to public infrastructure, property, and livestock, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leadership urged the central government to officially declare the Bihar floods a “national disaster”. The opposition requested an immediate financial assistance package of ₹5,000 crore, the deployment of Indian Air Force helicopters for aerial relief, and an on-site assessment by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
With the Bihar Meteorological Service Centre forecasting continued light to heavy rainfall across several regions over the coming days, state authorities emphasized that round-the-clock monitoring will continue, with relief measures scaling further as conditions evolve.
