- By Surarika Das
- Sat, 12 Sep 2026 02:10 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Ganga overflows in UP and Bihar, submerging NH-80 in Bhagalpur.
- Five people, including four children, died in Bhagalpur district
- Moradabad cremation grounds submerged; Varanasi addresses drainage issues.
Persistent heavy rainfall has caused the Ganges to overflow across parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar over recent days, inundating several areas, disrupting daily routines, and bringing traffic to a standstill.
Conditions in Bihar
On NH-80, the swollen Ganga has submerged the NH-80 and a four-lane stretch in Bhagalpur, forcing police and administration to seal it from both ends with barricades. The Bihar Water Resources Department Ganga levels fell at Allahabad (-0.43), Varanasi (-0.22), Buxar (-0.02), Dighaghat (-0.15), Gandhighat (-0.06), Hathidah (-0.09), Sultanganj (-0.14) and Bhagalpur (-0.12). The Punpun also fell at Fatehpur (-0.19) and Sripalpur (-0.27), as did the Sone at Maner (-0.03). Only Sone in Koelwar showed a marginal rise of 0.01, as per the latest update at 6 AM.
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Even as the water levels reportedly receded, locals in the state struggle to carry out their daily life. A person from the Sultanganj-Bhagalpur stretch, identified as Vinod Thakur, said that he had never witnessed such high water levels in his lifetime. "The water level of the Ganga has risen so much that we have seen this much water for the first time in our lives," ANI quoted Thakur as saying.
At least five people, including four children, died on Friday after falling into water-filled ditches in Koyli Khutaha village of Bhagalpur district.
Cremation Ground Submerged In UP
Among the affected areas in UP, Moradabad is the worst-hit region. As the situation worsened, the Gegaso Ghat submerged, following which many local families were unable to perform their last rites. "As for the body, we cremate it right here outside, and afterwards, we take it into that same area. There, we immerse it. We are enduring it," a local Shiv Bahadur told ANI, underscoring the grim situation for the residents.
Locals claimed that the water levels have risen to an extent that their houses would get inundated in no time. Authorities in Varanasi have alleged that the city's drainage network is managing the rainfall load.
PRO of Varanasi Municipal Corporation Sandeep Srivastava said, "Currently, the drainage lines in the Varanasi area extend to about 1300 kilometres, along with around 400 small and large drains. These drainage systems are regularly cleaned every year to prevent waterlogging. At present, drainage arrangements are being made in all other areas as needed."
Shrivastava added that the engineers in the areas are working continuously to fix the drainage areas. He claimed that the water is draining in half an hour even as relentless rainfall are filling up roads within moments.