Rising Waters: India's Rivers in Turmoil

The Central Water Commission (CWC) on Friday sounded alarms over severe to above-normal flood conditions at 17 different sites in India, with Bihar and Uttar Pradesh grappling with swelling waters in the Ganga and its tributaries. Of these sites, three are under severe flood conditions while 14 have surpassed the warning threshold.

The CWC's daily bulletin highlights that the Ganga river is flowing above the danger mark at Gandhighat and Hathidah in Patna, and at Ballia in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The forecast anticipates an upward trend in water levels by Saturday morning.

Bihar is particularly affected, with locations like Khagaria, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur, and Katihar experiencing troubling flood conditions. Rivers such as Kosi, Bagmati, Punpun, and Burhi Gandak show steady or escalating levels. The Ganga's rise at Dighaghat and Kahalgaon is exacerbating the situation downstream. In Uttar Pradesh, Ballia, Ghazipur, Budaun (Kachhla bridge), and Kushinagar (Khadda) report above-normal conditions. Additionally, West Bengal's Farakka site on the Ganga is also showing an increasing flow trend.

Furthermore, inflow alerts have been issued for 27 reservoirs and barrage locations, predominantly in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Critical dams such as Srisailam, Tungabhadra, Almatti, Hirakud, and Nagarjuna Sagar are seeing inflows surpassing threshold levels, heightening the flood threat.

(With inputs from agencies.)