The Ganga river is swelling fast, and alarm bells are ringing across Bihar and neighbouring states. As of 7 p.m. on Sunday, water levels at Digha Ghat surged past the danger mark of 50.45 meters, hitting 50.50 meters-marking a critical threshold that has left riverside communities deeply concerned.
The river is flowing over the red danger mark in Patna. The Gandhi Ghat in Patna has submerged as the water level is continuously increasing with rainfall in the city. And it is resulting in an overflowing Ganga with and its tributary rivers. From Saturday to Sunday morning the water level at the different ghats in the Patna city increased by almost 30 centimeters.
According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water level at all major ghats is expected to rise by another 40 centimetres by the morning of August 4. While the Son River is also witnessing a steady increase, Punpun’s levels remain stable near Shripalpur-for now.
Increasing Level Of Ganga
But it’s the Ganga’s unrelenting rise that’s stoking the most anxiety. The river is already overflowing at key ghats including Gandhi Ghat, Maner, Hathidah, and Digha. At Gandhi Ghat, the water is currently 42 centimetres above the danger level-a stark jump from Sunday morning, when Digha Ghat’s level was still 26 centimetres below the red line.
Communities living along the riverbanks and in the low-lying Diara region are watching nervously as the river inches closer to their homes. The fear of displacement and property damage is growing by the hour.
Weather Adds to the Worry
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has added another layer of concern, forecasting persistent light to moderate rain and thunderstorms over South Bengal for the rest of the week.
More worryingly, a Red Alert has been issued for Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts in North Bengal, with the IMD warning of extremely heavy rainfall-more than 20 centimetres-in isolated areas. Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Coochbehar are on Orange Alert, where heavy to very heavy showers ranging from 7 to 20 centimetres are expected. Meanwhile, Yellow Alerts are in place for North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, and Malda, where sporadic heavy rain (7-11 cm) is likely.
The weather system behind this deluge? An upper-air cyclonic circulation currently hovering over northwest Bihar and adjoining northeast Uttar Pradesh. It extends up to 4.5 km above sea level, tilting southwestward-a configuration that often brings intense and unpredictable weather.
Tragedy Unfolds in Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh, the heavy downpour has already turned deadly. Over the last 24 hours, at least 12 people lost their lives in incidents related to flooding, lightning, drowning, and even snake bites.
The scale of the crisis is growing: 17 districts are now flood-affected, including Kanpur Nagar, Lakhimpur Kheri, Agra, Auraiya, Chitrakoot, Ballia, Banda, Ghazipur, Mirzapur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Chandauli, Jalaun, Kanpur Dehat, Hamirpur, Etawah, and Fatehpur.
According to Relief Commissioner Bhanu Chandra Goswami, floods have impacted 37 tehsils and 402 villages, affecting nearly 84,400 residents. Relief operations are underway, but many fear the worst is yet to come.
The respective districts’ administration provided relief material to 47,906 people and 2,759 cattle were shifted to safe locations.