- Rivers in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are above danger or warning levels at multiple locations
- Bihar reports 33 sites with rivers breaching safe limits, including Gandak and Kosi rivers
- In Uttar Pradesh, Ganga and Ghaghara rivers exceed danger marks at several monitoring points
Rivers across Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are flowing above danger or warning marks at multiple points, with 33 locations in Bihar alone breaching safe levels, according to data from the Bihar Embankment Asset Management System and the Flood Management Information System Centre, Uttar Pradesh.
Bihar's Rivers Breach Safe Limits
In Bihar, the Gandak has crossed the danger mark at Bagaha, Darauli and Lalganj, while remaining at warning level at Thakraha and Kukraha.
The Kosi is above danger level at Birpur and at warning level at Basua. The Ganga has breached safe limits at Kolhachak, Sahibganj and Kahalgaon, while the Bagmati is elevated at Benibad.
The Ghaghra is above danger mark near Darauli, and the Karamnasa and Punpun rivers are running high at Chousa and Kinjer respectively. The Kiul, monitored at Mankatha, remains at warning level.
Photo Credit: NDTV
Uttar Pradesh Also On Alert
In Uttar Pradesh, the Ganga has crossed the danger threshold at Kachla Bridge, Ghazipur and Ballia, and is at warning level at Fatehgarh.
The Ghaghara is above danger mark at Ayodhya, Elgin Bridge and Turtipar, while the Rapti and Sharda rivers remain close to danger levels at Rapti Barrage, Paliakalan and Shardanagar. The Sai river, tracked at Bani, is running above warning level.
Photo Credit: NDTV
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Long-Term Himalayan Ice Loss
The flooding comes even as data from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) shows the Himalayas have lost close to 9% of their mountain ice reserves since 1990.
Ice reserves fell from 6,293 cubic km in 1990 to 5,736 cubic km by 2020, a steady decline recorded each decade. Glacier area over the same period has shrunk by 11.6%, from 63,122 sq km in 1990 to 55,782 sq km in 2020, according to ICIMOD figures, as rising temperatures accelerate ice loss across the mountain range.
Photo Credit: NDTV
While the immediate flooding in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh is being driven by the current monsoon discharge, the long-term shrinkage of Himalayan glaciers and ice reserves has raised concerns among researchers about changing river-flow patterns in the Ganga basin over coming decades.
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