As Bihar grapples with severe floods that displaced 1.18 million people, an Indian Air Force helicopter crash-landed in flood-hit Muzaffarpur on Wednesday. The Helicopter crashed while delivering relief materials to affected people.

Advanced Light Helicopter of the Indian Air Force had to make a precautionary landing in the theatre during flood relief operations in the Sitamarhi sector of Bihar. The chopper had three personnel onboard including two safe pilots. More details are awaited,” IAF officials said.

District Magistrate Subrat Kumar Sen said, “All four occupants appear safe and unharmed. However, as a precaution, they are being taken to a local hospital for check-up and treatment, if required.”

When Floods Intensified in Bihar

Notably, the flood crisis in Bihar took a dramatic turn on Monday, September 30, 2024, following the release of 6.61 lakh cusecs of water from the Birpur Barrage of the Kosi River. The officials reported the breakdown of embankments of the Kosi River in Darbhanga district and the Bagmati River in Sitamarhi, causing severity to the flood conditions.

The villages of Kiratpur and Ghanshyampur were submerged by the Kosi Rivers overflow near Kartarpur block and seepage was found in the Bagmati embankment in Runni Saidpur.

Emphasizing this ongoing situation, the States water resources, and disaster management departments issued a high alert. The flood situation is worsened with fresh embankment breaches, but its under control, the officials stated.

The flood has also significantly affected several districts of Bihar. These include, West and East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Patna, Jehanabad, Madhubani, Araria, Purnea, Katihar, and Bhojpur. The Katra Bakuchi power grid in Muzaffarpur was submerged, leading to outages for around 45,000 homes.

Governments Response

According to the Water Resource Minister of Bihar, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, a total of six embankment breaches have been reported across the state, with some already repaired. The flood has also caused damage to the crops and livestock of the locals.

Public Warning Issued

Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan shared a video on his social media handle, showing the terrified conditions of locals, fleeing a bridge near the Kosi dam as high tides approached. He urged the affected districts including Supaul, Saharasa, and Darbanga to avoid dams and adhere to high protocols issued by the authorities.

National Disaster Management Authority in Deployment

Considering the extreme flood conditions in Northern Bihar, 16 additional teams from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDRF) are being deployed. 17 SDRF (State Disaster Management Authority) teams were already involved in the relief efforts. Around 975 boats have also been sent into service in the affected area.

Bihar Prone to Heavy Flooding?

In the state led by Nitish Kumar, floods have become a yearly issue as the destruction cycle repeats. There are several key factors affecting the region and making it more prone to flooding annually.

The major cause of this problem is the crops and livestock of the people getting destroyed. Many are forced to live in temporary shelters, rely on food dropped by air, and face the risk of water-borne diseases.

Geographical Location

The flooding in the state is caused due to its location downstream from Nepal, with many rivers originating from the Himalayas. The rivers such as Kosi, Gandak, and Bagmati, carry massive amounts of sediment due to the loss of soil in the region. This reduces the capacity of streams and causes overflow during heavy rainfall conditions.

Monsoon Rains

Moreover, the state also potentially receives heavy rainfall during the monsoon reason, especially during June to September. The intense rainfall in the region often leads to the overflow of the riverbanks.

Climate Change

Interestingly, the unexpected weather patterns and more intense rainfall causing frequent climate change are also among the reasons contributing to the severity of floods in Bihar.

Embankments

Meanwhile, the embankments have been constructed to control flooding, but they have sometimes exacerbated the problems, destroying the natural flow of rivers and water to accumulate.