Floods hit 23 UP districts. Bihar opens all 69 Sone barrage gates.
Where it stands
Floods hit 23 districts of Uttar Pradesh on 2 September 2026. Three people have died. The government has moved 16,784 people to safety. The government has deployed 1,499 boats and 1,067 medical teams. The Ganga crossed the warning level at Varanasi on 3 September 2026. In Bihar, the Ganga, the Kosi and the Gandak are above the danger level at many places. Bihar opened all 69 gates of the Sone barrage at Indrapuri on 2 September 2026. The barrage passed 5.59 lakh cusecs at 6 pm. The Ganga at Gandhi Ghat in Patna was 1.15 metres above the danger level. The monsoon season was 13.8 per cent below normal by 31 August 2026. Heavy rain and dam releases caused the rise.
Background
The Central Water Commission (CWC) forecasts floods at 360 river stations in India. State governments fix a warning level and a danger level for each station. The flood season for the Ganga basin runs from 1 June to 31 October. The Sone river starts at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh. The Sone joins the Ganga near Patna. The Bansagar dam in Madhya Pradesh stores Sone water under a 1973 agreement. The Sone barrage at Indrapuri in Rohtas district, Bihar, sends Sone water into canals. In a flood, engineers open the barrage gates. The water then flows down to the Ganga at Patna.
How it developed
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26 to 31 August 2026How it started
A weak monsoon for India, then a Nepal flood surge into Bihar
By 31 August 2026 the monsoon was 13.8 per cent below normal for India as a whole. East and Northeast India was 25.7 per cent below normal. On 26 August 2026 a flash flood in Nepal raised the Gandak. Bihar opened all 36 gates of the Gandak barrage at Valmikinagar that night. The discharge peaked at 1.50 lakh cusecs. On 31 August 2026 the IMD said September rain would most likely be below normal for India.
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2 September 2026New fact
Uttar Pradesh reports floods in 23 districts, three dead, 16,784 moved
On 2 September 2026 the Uttar Pradesh government gave the flood figures. Floods affect 23 districts. Three people have died. The government has moved 16,784 people to safety. The government has deployed 1,499 boats, 1,067 medical teams and 1,311 flood shelters. In Ballia, the Ganga and the Saryu have affected about 20,500 people. The Sharda at Palia was 35 cm above the danger level. More than two lakh cusecs was released from Banbasa into the Sharda. NDRF and PAC teams are deployed.
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2 September 2026, 3 pmNew fact
Bihar bulletin puts the Ganga above danger at Patna, forecast to pass the 2016 record
The Bihar Water Resources Department issued its flood bulletin at 3 pm on 2 September 2026. The Ganga at Gandhi Ghat in Patna stood at 49.75 metres at 8 am. The danger level there is 48.60 metres. The bulletin forecast 50.58 metres at Gandhi Ghat on 4 September 2026. The highest flood level at Gandhi Ghat is 50.52 metres, set in 2016. The Ganga was also above the danger level at Digha Ghat, Hathidah and Kahalgaon. The Kosi at Baltara and the Gandak at Dumariaghat were above the danger level too.
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2 September 2026, 6 pmConsequence
Bihar opens all 69 gates of the Sone barrage at Indrapuri
On 2 September 2026 Bihar opened all 69 gates of the Sone barrage at Indrapuri in Rohtas district. The barrage passed 5.59 lakh cusecs at 6 pm. The water flows down the Sone to the Ganga near Patna. In Patna, the rising Ganga submerged shops and carts along JP Ganga Path. People in low-lying areas were moved to safer places. No death was reported in Bihar. Two days earlier, on 31 August 2026, Bihar and Jharkhand had signed an MoU on sharing Sone water.
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3 September 2026New fact
Ganga crosses the warning level at Varanasi. IMD warns of more rain.
At 6 am on 3 September 2026 the Ganga at Varanasi stood at 70.54 metres. The warning level at the Rajghat gauge is 70.262 metres. The river was rising 2 cm an hour. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded very heavy rain over West Uttar Pradesh and East Madhya Pradesh. The rain fell in the 24 hours to 8.30 am on 3 September 2026. Lalitpur recorded 17 cm. The IMD warned of heavy rain over Bihar from 3 to 6 September 2026. The IMD flagged flash-flood risk in eight East Uttar Pradesh districts, including Prayagraj and Varanasi.
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3 September 2026Official response
Chief Minister hands relief to 1,000 flood-hit families in Farrukhabad
On 3 September 2026 Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Farrukhabad. The Chief Minister gave relief material to 1,000 flood-hit families. The Chief Minister ordered urgent dredging of the Ganga in the district to cut future floods.
Why it matters for UPSC
For GS3, keep the three river levels apart. Above the warning level, the CWC starts daily updates. Above the danger level, the river can flood homes and roads. The highest flood level is the past record at that station. For GS1, know the Sone. The Sone rises at Amarkantak and joins the Ganga near Patna. The Bansagar dam and the Indrapuri barrage stand on the Sone. Also note one paradox. The 2026 monsoon was 13.8 per cent below normal. Floods still hit Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Key terms
Sources (15)
- Akashvani News · official · Bihar on high alert following flash flood in Nepal (27 August 2026)3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- Business Standard · India sees warmest August since 1901 as monsoon rainfall deficit hits 13.8% (PTI copy, 1 September 2026)3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- India Meteorological Department · official · Monthly Outlook for Rainfall and Temperature during September 2026 (press release, 31 August 2026)3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- National Disaster Response Force · official · About Us (NDRF: raised 2006, 16 battalions)3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- Business Standard · UP flood situation: 3 killed, over 16K evacuated from 23 affected districts (PTI copy, 3 September 2026)3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- The Federal · 23 UP districts in grip of floods; 3 dead, 16,784 evacuated (PTI copy, 3 September 2026)3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- Flood Management Improvement Support Centre, Water Resources Department, Bihar · official · Daily Water Level and Flood Forecast Data, 2 September 2026, 3 pm (rolling daily file)3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- Business Standard · Bihar on alert as major rivers swell, all 69 gates of Sone Barrage opened (PTI copy, 2 September 2026)3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- National Herald · Bihar flood situation worsens as eight major rivers flow above danger mark (IANS copy, 3 September 2026)3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- Press Information Bureau · official · MoU signed between Bihar and Jharkhand on the sharing of Sone River water (31 August 2026)3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- Bansagar Control Board · official · About Us: the Sone river and the 16 September 1973 agreement between Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- India Meteorological Department · official · Press release, 3 September 2026, 1330 hours IST: well marked low-pressure area over northeast Madhya Pradesh, heavy rainfall warnings and flash flood guidance3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- ANI · UP: Ganga water level crosses warning mark in Varanasi, rises at 2 cm per hr (3 September 2026)3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- Central Water Commission · official · Flood Preparedness by CWC: designated flood period, alert stages and 360 flood forecasting stations (2 May 2026)3 Sep, 3:30 pm
- ANI · UP: CM Yogi distributes relief material to 1,000 flood-affected families in Farrukhabad, assures permanent solution (3 September 2026)3 Sep, 3:30 pm