Welcome to the Ujiyari Bihar Current Affairs notes for 13 September 2026, prepared for the BPSC Combined Competitive Examination and other Bihar government examinations. The flood emergency continues to dominate the state agenda: according to the state’s figures on 13 September, about 48.35 lakh people in 15 districts are affected, though river waters have begun to recede. The Ganga remains above its danger mark at several stations, including Gandhi Ghat in Patna. The relief architecture stands at 1,251 community kitchens, 13 relief camps housing about 12,260 people, about 1,790 boats, 27 SDRF and 10 NDRF teams. Each item carries a Prelims fact set and a Mains angle, followed by five practice MCQs.
1. Bihar Floods: 48.35 Lakh Affected in 15 Districts as Waters Begin to Recede
Why in News: According to the state’s figures on 13 September 2026, about 48.35 lakh people in 575 gram panchayats of 87 blocks across 15 districts are affected by floods, up from about 48.22 lakh a day earlier, although river waters have begun to recede. The worst-affected districts are Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai and Araria.
Rivers above danger. On 13 September the Kosi (at Baltar and Kursela), Burhi Gandak (Khagaria), Ganga (at Digha, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah, Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon and Munger), Punpun (Sripalpur), Bagmati (Benibad) and Ghaghra (Darauli and Gangpur Siswan) were flowing above their danger marks. As background, the Ganga at Gandhi Ghat had crossed its 2016 high flood level earlier this month.
Structural context. Bihar is India’s most flood-prone state: 28 of its 38 districts are classified as flood-prone, and north Bihar is drained by Himalayan rivers whose catchments lie largely in Nepal (Kosi, Gandak, Bagmati, Kamla, Mahananda). The Ganga receives the Ghaghra near Chhapra, the Son near Patna, the Gandak at Hajipur-Sonpur and the Kosi near Kursela.
Bihar Relevance:
- Prelims: On 13 September 2026, floods affected about 48.35 lakh people in 15 districts, 87 blocks and 575 panchayats; waters had begun to recede.
- Prelims: Worst-affected districts: Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Araria.
- Prelims: Rivers above danger on 13 September: Kosi, Burhi Gandak, Ganga, Punpun, Bagmati, Ghaghra.
- Prelims: The Kosi meets the Ganga near Kursela (Katihar); the Gandak meets it at Hajipur-Sonpur.
- Prelims: 28 of Bihar’s 38 districts are classified as flood-prone.
- Mains: The cross-basin hydraulics of the Ganga in Bihar, where tributary peaks compound; the limits of embankment-only flood management; India-Nepal cooperation on transboundary rivers (GS3 disaster management, GS2 IR).
2. Relief Architecture: 1,251 Kitchens, 13 Camps, 37 Rescue Teams
Why in News: As of 13 September 2026, 1,251 community kitchens are operating in the affected districts, 13 relief camps are housing about 12,260 people, and about 1,790 boats are deployed for evacuation and supply. 27 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams and 10 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are on the ground.
Command structure. Ministers-in-Charge and Secretaries-in-Charge have been camping in the 13 Ganga-riverine districts under a directive issued earlier this month, and Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has inspected relief camps and distributed ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to families of those who died in flood-related incidents.
Institutional framework. Bihar’s flood response operates under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, through the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority chaired by the Chief Minister, the Water Resources Department for embankments, and the Disaster Management Department for relief. The NDRF is constituted under Section 44 of the Act.
Bihar Relevance:
- Prelims: On 13 September 2026: 1,251 community kitchens, 13 relief camps (about 12,260 people), about 1,790 boats, 27 SDRF and 10 NDRF teams.
- Prelims: Ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh is paid to the next of kin of those who died in flood-related incidents.
- Prelims: The NDRF is constituted under Section 44 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005; the SDMA is chaired by the Chief Minister.
- Mains: The community-kitchen model as a low-cost instrument of disaster relief; balancing political oversight and administrative execution in a rolling disaster response (GS3 disaster management, GS2 governance).
3. Bhagalpur Embankments Under Stress
Why in News: Reports from Bhagalpur district on 11 September 2026 described at least four embankment breaches, including a breach of about 10 metres in the Brahmottar embankment at Gopalpur and one of about 15 metres in the old railway-line embankment at Baniya village, Rangra Chowk. These are flood embankments (tatbandh), not dams.
Why embankments matter, and their limits. Bihar’s flood defence relies heavily on embankments built along its principal rivers since the 1950s. The case for them is that they contain the river within a bounded channel; the critique is that sediment deposition raises the bed between the embankments over time, cuts the river off from its floodplain, and concentrates risk at single points of failure. The 2008 Kosi breach at Kusaha, in Nepal, is the textbook illustration.
Repair architecture. Emergency repair uses sand-bag stacking, geo-textile bags and boulder pitching under the Water Resources Department; full restoration follows once the flood recedes.
Bihar Relevance:
- Prelims: At least four embankment breaches were reported in Bhagalpur district, including the Brahmottar embankment at Gopalpur.
- Prelims: The 2008 Kosi breach occurred at Kusaha in Nepal, upstream of the Kosi Barrage at Bhimnagar.
- Prelims: The Kosi Agreement (1954) and the Gandak Agreement (1959) govern India-Nepal cooperation on the two rivers.
- Mains: The limitations of embankment-only flood control on a sediment-heavy river; the case for combining upstream storage, floodplain zoning and early warning (GS3 disaster management).
4. September Rainfall About 20 Per Cent Above Normal
Why in News: According to the state’s figures on 13 September 2026, Bihar has received 108.8 mm of rainfall so far in September, about 20 per cent above normal. Continuous rain in Bihar and the upstream catchments has sustained high river levels.
How Bihar’s rainfall geography sits. Bihar’s average annual rainfall is about 1,200 mm, most of it during the Southwest Monsoon (June to September). North Bihar, at the foot of the Himalaya, is the wetter zone, with Kishanganj in the north-east the wettest district; south-west Bihar, towards the Chota Nagpur plateau, is drier.
Why the surplus matters. Rain on already-saturated soils and full rivers is the classic precursor to embankment stress and prolonged waterlogging, which is why late-season forecasts increasingly emphasise short-duration, high-intensity events.
Bihar Relevance:
- Prelims: Bihar received 108.8 mm of rain in September up to 13 September 2026, about 20 per cent above normal.
- Prelims: Bihar’s average annual rainfall is about 1,200 mm; Kishanganj is its wettest district.
- Prelims: North Bihar is wetter than the south-west, which borders the Chota Nagpur plateau.
- Mains: Above-normal rainfall as a compounding factor on saturated soils; the need for basin-scale flood forecasting shared with Nepal (GS3 environment, GS2 IR).
Practice MCQs
1. According to Bihar’s flood figures of 13 September 2026, which of the following is correct?
a) About 48.35 lakh people in 15 districts were affected, with 13 relief camps and 1,251 community kitchens b) About 5 lakh people in 3 districts were affected, with all rivers below danger marks c) About 48.35 lakh people in 38 districts were affected, with 1,251 relief camps d) About 12,260 people in 15 districts were affected, with no NDRF deployment
Answer: a
Explanation: On 13 September 2026, about 48.35 lakh people in 575 panchayats of 87 blocks across 15 districts were affected, though waters had begun to recede. The state was running 1,251 community kitchens and 13 relief camps housing about 12,260 people, with about 1,790 boats, 27 SDRF and 10 NDRF teams deployed. The 12,260 figure is the number of people in camps, not the number affected.
2. Which of the following rivers was NOT listed above its danger mark in Bihar on 13 September 2026?
a) Kosi b) Bagmati c) Punpun d) Gandak
Answer: d
Explanation: The rivers above danger on 13 September 2026 were the Kosi (Baltar and Kursela), Burhi Gandak (Khagaria), Ganga (including Gandhi Ghat, Patna), Punpun (Sripalpur), Bagmati (Benibad) and Ghaghra (Darauli and Gangpur Siswan). The Gandak was not on the list. Note that the Burhi Gandak and the Gandak are different rivers.
3. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), deployed for Bihar flood relief, is constituted under which provision?
a) Article 355 of the Constitution b) Section 44 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 c) Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 d) Entry 1 of the State List
Answer: b
Explanation: The NDRF is constituted under Section 44 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, as a specialist response force. The same Act provides for the National and State Disaster Management Authorities; Bihar’s SDMA is chaired by the Chief Minister. Ten NDRF and 27 SDRF teams were deployed in Bihar on 13 September 2026.
4. The 2008 Kosi embankment breach, the reference case for embankment failure in Bihar, occurred at:
a) Kursela, in Katihar district of Bihar b) Bhimnagar, at the India-Nepal border c) Kusaha, in Nepal d) Gopalpur, in Bhagalpur district of Bihar
Answer: c
Explanation: The 2008 breach of the Kosi’s eastern embankment occurred at Kusaha in Nepal, upstream of the Kosi Barrage at Bhimnagar, and the river shifted course into north Bihar. Kursela is where the Kosi meets the Ganga. Gopalpur in Bhagalpur is the site of a Brahmottar embankment breach reported in September 2026.
5. According to the state’s figures on 13 September 2026, Bihar’s September rainfall to date was:
a) 104.1 mm, about 27 per cent above normal b) 108.8 mm, about 20 per cent below normal c) 1,200 mm, about normal d) 108.8 mm, about 20 per cent above normal
Answer: d
Explanation: Bihar had received 108.8 mm of rainfall in September up to 13 September 2026, about 20 per cent above normal. Bihar’s average annual rainfall is about 1,200 mm, most of it during the Southwest Monsoon, and Kishanganj in the north-east is the state’s wettest district.
