Community kitchens, boat ambulances: Bihar copes with floods that have hit 22 lakh

Over 22 lakh people in 12 districts of Bihar have been affected by floods, prompting the state government to expand relief and rescue operations, with the number of community kitchens rising to 190 from 80 in a single day, according to the state's Disaster Management Department.

“The affected population is spread across 70 blocks and 368 gram panchayats in Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Buxar, Samastipur, Munger, Katihar, Lakhisarai and Arwal,” an official said. “Livestock have been swept away and public infrastructure severely damaged, while property worth thousands of crores has been lost in the floods,” the RJD national working president wrote on X, demanding that the situation be declared a “national disaster”.

He also requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the state and assess the situation. Meanwhile, vigilance has been heightened along Ganga embankments in five districts. According to the Disaster Management Department, the community kitchens are currently providing food to about 2.51 lakh people.

The state has deployed 1,429 boats for transportation and evacuation, while the number of medical camps has been increased to 171. Ten teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 27 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed in different districts.

In Saran, one of the worst affected districts, the administration said: “2,33,511 people in 109 villages across seven blocks and 35 panchayats were affected as of 4 pm on Sunday”. A total of 1,206 people had been evacuated to safer locations and no deaths had been reported in the district.

Saran has 155 boats and six SDRF rafts in operation, besides an NDRF unit. Twenty-one medical camps have treated 1,371 patients and six boat ambulances are also functioning. Eight animal camps are sheltering 678 animals.

“Fifteen community kitchens in Saran have served 12,005 people,” the administration said, adding that temporary cracks at Trilokchak embankment in Dighwara and Simaria embankment in Dariyapur were being filled on a war footing.

Special arrangements, including games and educational and creative activities, have also been made for children staying at community kitchen-cum-relief camps in Sonpur. Meanwhile, in Patna district, 25 community kitchens are operating and have served more than 70,000 people.

The administration claimed that “20 medical camps, 28 ambulances and six boat ambulances have been deployed. Fifteen animal camps have also been established, while 166 boats are being used for safe movement and evacuation.

Eight SDRF teams and two Sashastra Seema Bal teams have been deployed in sensitive and high-movement areas.” The Water Resources Department has ordered heightened vigilance along the Ganga embankments in Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar.

“The rise in the Ganga at Gandhi Ghat could put pressure on downstream areas over the next one to three days and may push levels at Hathidah beyond its previous highest flood level. Engineers have been directed to keep flood-control machinery ready and continuously monitor embankments and vulnerable locations,” an official said.

A reading at 11.15 pm showed the Ganga at Hathidah at 43.62 metres, above its highest flood level (HFL) of 43.52 metres, with the trend described as steady. The Ganga at Gandhi Ghat was at 50.47 metres against an HFL of 50.52 metres and was marked as falling.

“The readings currently show the Kosi, Budhi Gandak, Punpun and Bagmati above danger levels at some locations,” the official said. The Bihar Meteorological Service Centre has forecast light to moderate rain at many places and heavy rain at some locations over the next two days.

Opposition leader Yadav, meanwhile, sought Rs 5,000 crore in special financial assistance from the Centre and deployment of Indian Air Force helicopters for relief and rescue operations. The state government, meanwhile, said monitoring was continuing round-the-clock and relief and rescue measures would be expanded according to requirements.

Himanshu Harsh is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, currently leading on-the-ground coverage in Bihar. With a reporting career rooted in the complexities of the National Capital Region (NCR), Himanshu specializes in the critical intersection of law, crime, and civic governance.

Professional Expertise & Credentials An alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, Himanshu brings a rigorous academic foundation to his investigative work. His expertise is characterized by a "ground-up" reporting style, most notably demonstrated during his extensive coverage of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where he analyzed shifting political landscapes and grassroots sentiment.

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