Flood in Bihar | 23 Sep 2024

Recently, Bihar has been severely affected by floods, with 12 districts submerged and over 12 lakh people impacted.

Flood Situation:
- Heavy rainfall in Nepal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand has led to rising water levels in the rivers of North and South Bihar.
- The situation has caused widespread flooding in Bihar, particularly along rivers like the Ganga.
Affected Areas:
- 12 districts are affected, including Buxar, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Patna, Samastipur, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Khagaria, Bhagalpur, and Katihar.
- A total of 12.67 lakh people in low-lying areas have been impacted by rising water levels.
- Affected trains include Patna-Dumka Express, Saraigarh Deoghar Special, Jamalpur-Kiul Memu Special, and Bhagalpur-Danapur Intercity Express.
- The Bihar Disaster Management Department (DMD) reported that 361 panchayats have been affected.

About:
- Floods are the most frequent type of natural disaster and occur when an overflow of water submerges land that is usually dry.
- Between 1998-2017, 2 Billion people have been affected worldwide due to floods.
Causes:
- These are often caused by heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt or a storm surge from a tropical cyclone or tsunami in coastal areas.
Types of Floods:
- Flash Floods: These are caused by rapid and excessive rainfall that raises water heights quickly, and rivers, streams, channels or roads may be overtaken.
- River Floods: These are caused when consistent rain or snow melt forces a river to exceed capacity.
- Coastal Floods: These are caused by storm surges associated with tropical cyclones and tsunami.