Rivers across at least eight states — among them Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh — are flowing above the danger mark, with continued heavy rainfall in the hills raising flood concerns in low-lying areas.
According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), several stretches of the Ganga and its tributaries remained in a “severe flood situation” on Wednesday morning, particularly in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. The CWC has issued an ‘orange bulletin’ for multiple rivers.
In Bihar, the Ganga has crossed the danger level at more than 20 locations, including Patna, Bhagalpur, Buxar, Vaishali and Bhojpur. At Gandhi Ghat in Patna, it was recorded at 49.87 metres — 1.27 metres above the danger mark. At Kahalgaon, the level stood 0.69 metres higher. Other rivers — including the Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, Baya, Kosi, Gandak and Punpun — are also flowing above the threshold.
The Gandak in Gopalganj was measured at 70.05 metres, 0.45 metres above the danger mark, with a rising trend of 50 mm per hour. The Sone River at Maner, near Patna, is also in severe condition at 52.99 metres, nearly a metre above the red mark.
Uttar Pradesh is seeing a similar trend. The Ganga is 0.94 metres above the danger mark at Varanasi and 1.59 metres higher at Ghazipur. The Yamuna at Prayagraj is up by 0.73 metres. Rising water levels have also been reported from Ballia, Mirzapur, Allahabad, Phaphamau and Chitrakoot, where the Paisuni River is flowing 1.25 metres above its danger mark.
Uttarakhand’s Alaknanda, Mandakini and Bhagirathi rivers have also breached danger levels, particularly in Rudraprayag, Tehri and Haridwar districts. The Mandakini in Rudraprayag has touched the danger level of 1,976.8 metres, while the Alaknanda is 0.6 metres above it.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rain across several hill districts — including Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Dehradun, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar and Pauri Garhwal — which could worsen the flood situation.
Assam remains under threat as well. The Ghormura river in Hailakandi is flowing 1.69 metres above the danger level. The Katakhal, also in Hailakandi, and the Buridehing in Tinsukia are both in a severe flood state, posing a risk to vulnerable settlements.
In Himachal Pradesh, persistent heavy rain has triggered fresh landslides and flash floods, adding to the crisis in the hill state.