Gandak River levels drop as Bihar suspends seven engineers for flood response failures

The Gandak River's water level in Bihar has fallen rapidly, dropping 177 cm at Rewaghat to 50 cm below the danger mark and 130 cm at Lalganj, still 52 cm above the danger threshold but expected to fall further. The state Water Resources Department reported that embankments are no longer under pressure and that materials are stocked at breach sites. In response to the recent flooding, seven engineers—including executive engineers Santosh Kumar Prabhakar and Md Sajid Iqbal—were suspended, and chief engineer Kumar Manoj Gupta faces departmental action for alleged negligence linked to damage at the Champaran embankment.

The department blamed laxity, delayed manpower mobilisation, and poor coordination with locals and elected officials. Floods have impacted nearly 9.87 lakh people in 169 gram panchayats across six districts, prompting distribution of over 1.1 lakh polythene sheets and dry ration packets, operation of 324 boats, and deployment of 14 NDRF and 28 SDRF teams for rescue and relief.