North Bihar’s flood situation has worsened after a record volume of water was released into the Gandak river following heavy rain in Nepal’s Terai region. The Valmikinagar Barrage released 5.15 lakh cusecs of water into the Gandak on Sunday night, the highest discharge recorded there this year.

According to the Patna Press, Nepal’s Devghat gauge station recorded a discharge of more than 6.52 lakh cusecs, exceeding the previous record of 5.26 lakh cusecs set on August 27, 1999. The Bihar Disaster Management Department said around 82,000 people in 23 gram panchayats across 11 blocks of West Champaran and Supaul districts have been directly affected.

Floodwater has submerged sections of the Bagaha-Valmikinagar highway, with water reaching five to six feet in places and bringing traffic to a halt. Congress MLA Surendra Prasad Kushwaha warned on Sunday that the discharge could reach 4.5 lakh cusecs, and said evacuations were underway in low-lying areas of West Champaran, with displaced families being sheltered at Bherihari with food and dry rations.

The IMD’s Patna centre has issued a yellow alert for rain in 12 districts on Monday, September 28, with winds up to 30 kmph possible, raising fears of further flooding in the days ahead.