NDRF Deploys 20 Teams, Amit Shah Briefs Bihar CM as India Braces for Cross-Border Flood Wave
India’s border states are on alert after Nepal’s catastrophic August 26 flash flood raised fears of a downstream surge in the Gandak river system. The NDRF said it is on “high alert,” citing a Central Water Commission advisory that a sudden rise in the Trishuli river at Furke Khola in Nepal , around 160 km from the Indian border, suspected to be linked to a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood near the China border could send a flood wave down the Gandak, officials told PTI.
The immediate red-flag zones are districts along the Gandak river system , West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali in Bihar, with Sitamarhi and Sheohar also told to stay vigilant. In Uttar Pradesh, Kushinagar district, close to the Gandak, is flagged as vulnerable.
NDRF has deployed 20 teams overall , nine in Bihar (including West Champaran and Muzaffarnagar) and 11 in Uttar Pradesh (including Kushinagar) with additional teams on standby for emergent requirements. In Bihar specifically, teams have been placed in Gopalganj and Bettiah, with another on standby in Muzaffarpur. A few NDRF rescue teams have also been kept ready at the IAF station in Ghaziabad for possible airlift to Nepal.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary, assuring the state “all possible assistance,” and the Centre has moved to mobilise disaster-response resources. Choudhary has constituted a high-level monitoring team, with senior officials directed to remain on standby to activate rescue and relief arrangements immediately. District administrations have begun preparing for evacuations, and residents in flood-prone parts of Bagaha (West Champaran) and Vaishali have been advised to move to safer ground if the water rises.
NDRF said it remains in close coordination with the Bihar and UP governments and the CWC, continuously monitoring the situation.
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