Flood situation along the Ganga river continues, school in Varanasi shut for two days

Flooding across areas located north of Ganga and lower areas in Varanasi and Patna continued, forcing people to be evacuate to safer places. The flood fury of the river has now been shifting eastward along its downstream to Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district.

According to the Bihar water resources department's flood bulletin, the river Ganga was flowing 39cm above the danger level in Buxar, 20cm above at Patna's Digha, 75cm above at Gandhi Ghat and 61cm above the danger mark at Hathidah in eastern part of the district.

In the east, the Ganga was below danger level along the downstream, even as the water levels showed a rising trend. It was flowing 49cm above the danger mark at Kahalgaon, implying that the flood problem had become acute in Naugachhia, Gopalpur, Kursela and Manihari blocks in Bhagalpur and Katihar districts.


The increase in the water level in Buxar, Maner, Digha and Gandhi Ghat will be around 24cm on an average on Tuesday.

Rainfall was uniformly spread in the plains of north and South Bihar. The rainfall was recorded in double digits and more than 100mm in all but four districts in the last 24 hours.

In the meantime, discharge through Birpur barrage across Kosi river was 1.76 lakh cusec, and that into Gandak from Valimiki Nagar barrage was 1.47 lakh cusec.

Flooding along the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh

Meanwhile, several areas in Varanasi city were flooded on Monday following incessant heavy rainfall and a rise in the water level of the River Ganga.

The water level is on the rise since Saturday. In response to the deteriorating situation, all boats running on the Ganga have been banned.

Further, all schools in Varanasi, across all boards and up to Class 12, will remain closed on August 5 and 6 due to the ongoing flood-like situation in the city, the District School Superintendent said on Monday.

In an official statement, the Superintendent said, "In view of the rain and flood situation in Varanasi district, in compliance with the instructions given by the District Magistrate, Varanasi, all the schools of all boards (Basic Education Council, Secondary Education Council, CBSE Board, ICSE Board and Sanskrit Board) running from pre-primary to class 12 in Varanasi district will remain closed on August 5 and 6. Therefore, the Headmasters / Principals of all the schools are directed to ensure strict compliance with the said order."

Uttar Pradesh Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna on Monday visited the flood-affected areas at Varanasi.

Speaking to the reporters, Khanna said, "I have inspected the flood-affected areas. I also spoke to the people. The people expressed contentment that the relief material was received in an adequate amount. It is a natural disaster and everybody should cooperate."

Many people were seen walking through knee-deep water. Waterlogging caused traffic snarls in the city.

UP CM takes action

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had directed all ministers in charge to immediately visit their assigned districts, inspect relief camps, and directly engage with affected families. He instructed senior officials, including DMs, SPs, and CMOs, to stay on the ground and ensure 24x7 monitoring, said a release on Saturday.

The chief minister has deployed an 11-member ministerial team to oversee relief operations across 12 affected districts, warning that any negligence will not be tolerated and stressing the need for sensitivity, speed and transparency.

According to IMD, isolated heavy rainfall is likely over Uttar Pradesh during August 3-6.