(Feature Image: River Yamuna at Palla in Delhi in Aug. 2026. BS Rawat/SANDRP)
In the last month of south west monsoon season 2026, we have been able to track Central Water Commission’s (CWC) 25 flood monitoring sites where rivers have crossed their respective Highest Flood Levels (HFL). These sites are spread over 5 river basins in 5 states.
River basin wise the maximum 13 HFL crossings have occurred in Ganga basin followed by 6 in Godavari, 3 in Brahmani & Baitarni basin, 2 in East Flowing Rivers (EFR) between Mahanadi & Pennar basin and 1 in Narmada basin. State-wise the maximum 11 HFL breaches have taken place in Bihar followed by 6 in Odisha, 4 in Chhattisgarh, 2 in Uttar Pradesh and 1 each in Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
The sixth column of each table provides information on the increase in meter (m) over the previous HFL, the duration in hours (hrs) for which the river remained in extreme floods and the number of years (yrs) since the previous HFL was recorded. Also see details of HFL breach incidents at 15 and 10 flood monitoring sites in July 2026 and Aug 2026.
1. Ganga Basin
| SN | Site/ River | District/ State | Old HFL/ Date | New HFL/ Time/ Date | Rise/ Duration/ Year/ |
| 1 | Kaithi/ Chandrawal | Hamirpur/ Uttar Pradesh | 101.99 m/ 27.08.2022 | 102.1 m/ 02:00 hr/ 28.09.2026 | +0.11 m/ ~16 hrs/ 04 yrs |
| 101.41 m/ 05.09.2019 | |||||
| 2 | Chakghat/ Tons | Prayagraj/ Uttar Pradesh | 96 m/ 18.07.2025 | 96.14 m/ 09:00 hr/ 03.09.2026 | +0.14 m/ ~21 hrs/ 01 yr |
| 94.7 m/ 02.08.2021 | |||||
| 3 | Danapur/ Ganga | Patna/ Bihar | 52.61 m/ 15.08.2021 | 52.63 m/ 03:00 hr/ 06.09.2026 | +0.02 m/ ~14 hrs/ 05 yrs |
| 4 | Gandhi-ghat/ Ganga | Patna/ Bihar | 50.52 m/ 21.08.2016 | 50.58 m/ 24:00 hr/ 05.09.2026 | +0.06 m/ ~30 hrs/ 10 yrs |
| 5 | Bankaghat/ Ganga | Patna/ Bihar | 49.44 m/ 16.08.2021 | 49.47 m/ 03:00 hr/ 06.09.2026 | +0.03 m/ ~13 hrs/ 05 yrs |
| 6 | Pandarak/ Ganga | Patna/ Bihar | 43.73 m/ 16.08.2021 | 43.92 m/ 03:00 hr/ 06.09.2026 | +0.19 m/ ~78 hrs/ 05 yrs |
| 7 | Sultanganj/ Ganga | Bhagalpur/ Bihar | 36.75 m/ 17.08.2021 | 36.81 m/ 11:00 hr/ 08.09.2026 | +0.06 m/ ~27 hrs/ 05 yrs |
| 8 | Bagaha/ Gandak | Pashchim Champaran/ Bihar | 90.9 m/ 29.09.2024 | 91.25 m/ 12:00 hr/ 28.09.2026 | +0.35 m/ ~19 hrs/ 2 yrs |
| 90.3 m/ 07.10.2022 | |||||
| 9 | Dumaria-ghat/ Gandak | Gopalganj/ Bihar | 64.36 m/ 24.07.2020 | 64.64 m/ 08:00 hr/ 30.09.2026 | +0.28 m/ ~37 hrs/ 06 yrs |
| 64.10 m/ 17.08.2017 | |||||
| 10 | Rewaghat/ Gandak | Muzaffarpur/ Bihar | 55.46 m/ 24.07.2020 | 55.68 m/ 18:00 hr/ 30.09.2026 | +0.22 m/ ~22 hrs/ 06 yrs |
| 55.41 m/ 17.09.1986 | |||||
| 11 | Lalganj/ Gandak | Vaishali/ Bihar | 52.12 m 02.10.2024 | 52.32 m/ 22:00 hr/ 30.09.2026 | +0.20 m/ 02 yrs |
| 51.83 m/ 02.09.2021 | |||||
| 51.75 m/ 25.07.2020 | |||||
| 51.62 m/ 04.08.2001 | |||||
| 12 | Ahiro/ Gerua* | Banka/ Bihar | 52.85 m/ 04.08.2025 | 52.9 m/ 14:00 hr/ 26.09.2026 | +0.05 m/ ~10 hrs/ 01 yr |
| 52.42/ 14.08.2021 | |||||
| 13 | Ekchari/ Gerua* | Bhagalpur/ Bihar | 33.45 m/ 11.08.2025 | 33.47 m/ 05:00 hr/ 10.09.2026 | +0.02 m/ ~10 hrs/ 01 yr |
| 33.36 m/ 01.10.2019 |
Of the 15 HFL breach sites in Ganga basin 11 are located in Bihar states and 2 in Uttar Pradesh. Interestingly the Ganga River has witnessed HFL breach at 5 sites in first week of Sept. 2026 and Gandak at 4 sites in the last week of the month.
At Gandhighat site in Patna the Ganga River has crossed its HFL after a decade and at Pandarak site also in Patna, the river remained in extreme floods for about 78 hours. The map on CWC flood forecast website shows Ahiro and Ekchari sites on Gerua river, however the hydrograph of sites has wrongly mentioned them on Ganga river.
2. Narmada Basin
| SN | Site/ River | District/ State | Old HFL/ Date | New HFL/ Time/ Date | Rise/ Duration/ Year/ |
| 1 | Gorakhpur/ Narmada | Dindori/ Madhya Pradesh | 745.75 m/ 03.08.2023 | 745.8 m/ 11:00 hr/ 26.09.2026 | +0.05 m/ ~02 hrs/ 03 yrs |
3. Godavari Basin
| SN | Site/ River | District/ State | Old HFL/ Date | New HFL/ Time/ Date | Rise/ Duration/ Year/ |
| 1 | Nowrangapur/ Indravathi | Nabarangapur/ Odisha | 559.33 m/ 07.07.1973 | 559.545 m/ 21:00 hr/ 25.09.2026 | +0.21 m/ ~14 hrs/ 53 yrs |
| 2 | Ghatakusumi/ Journala* | Nabarangapur/ Odisha | 547.37 m/ 24.08.2026 | 548.41 m/ 15:00 hr/ 26.09.2026 | +1.04 m/ ~50 hrs/ 1 month |
| 544.9 m/ 19.08.2025 | |||||
| 3 | Jagdalpur/ Indaravathi | Bastar/ Chhattisgarh | 544.68 m/ 09.07.1973 | 544.891 m/ 23:00 hr/ 26.09.2026 | +0.21 m/ ~15 hrs/ 53 yrs |
| 4 | Chindnar/ Indravathi | Dantewada/ Chhattisgarh | 340.2 m/ 05.07.2006 | 340.49 m/ 05:00 hr/ 26.09.2026 | +0.29 m/ ~13 hrs/ 20 yrs |
| 5 | Sonarpal/ Narangi | Bastar/ Chhattisgarh | 543.2 m/ 21.08.2020 | 543.43 m/ 04:00 hr/ 26.09.2026 | +0.23 m/ ~13 hrs/ 06 yrs |
| 6 | Talnar/ Sabari | Sukma/ Chhattisgarh | 211.28 m/ 08.08.2022 | 213.81 m/ 04:00 hr/ 26.09.2026 | +2.53 m/ ~37 hrs/ 04 yrs |
Notably, it’s for the first time that the Indravathi river has crossed its HFL at Nowrangapur and Jagdalpur sites after 1973. While the CWC mentions the Ghatakusumi site on Journala river, the river and basin names are missing from the hydrograph of the site. The site has recorded new HFL in Aug. 2025, Aug. 2026 and Sept. 2026.
4. Brahmani and Baitarni Basin
| SN | Site/ River | District/ State | Old HFL/ Date | New HFL/ Time/ Date | Rise/ Duration/ Year/ |
| 1 | Keshdihi/ Baitarani | Mayurbhanj/ Odisha | 317.79 m/ 26.08.2020 | 318.73 m/ 11:00 hr/ 25.09.2026 | +0.94 m/ ~07 hrs/ 06 yrs |
| 318.08 m/ 13.08.2026 | +0.29 m | ||||
| 317.6 m/ 28.07.2026 | -0.19 m | ||||
| 2 | Bhejdih/ Baitarani | Mayurbhanj/ Odisha | 293.41 m/ 14.09.2021 | 294.9 m/ 14:00 hr/ 25.09.2026 | +1.49 m/ ~22 hrs/ 05 yrs |
| 293.45 m/ 13.08.2026 | +0.04 m | ||||
| 293.17 m/ 28.07.2026 | -0.24 m | ||||
| 3 | Bhadrak/ Baitarani | Bhadrak/ Odisha | 13.93 m/ 31.07.2026 | 14.03 m/ 22:00 hr/ 26.09.2026 | +0.10 m/ ~20 hrs/ 2 months |
| 13.24 m/ 15.08.2022 |
At the Keshdihi and Bhejdihi sites, the Baitarani river narrowly missed crossing the respective HFLs in July 2026 but has crossed the HFLs in both Aug. and Sept. 2026. At Bhadrak, the river attained a new HFL in July 2026 and has breached it again in Sept. 2026.
In short, the Baitarani river was in severe and extreme floods at these three sites in July, Aug. and Sept. 2026 which is a rare event and may require further examination of possible causes.
5. East Flowing Rivers (EFR) between Mahanadi and Pennar
| SN | Site/ River | District/ State | Old HFL/ Date | New HFL/ Time/ Date | Rise/ Duration/ Year/ |
| 1 | Janjhavati Rd Bridge/ Nagavali | Vizia-nagaram/ Andhra Pradesh | 119.22 m/ NA | 120.38 m/ 02:00 hr/ 25.09.2026 | +1.16 m/ ~22 hr/ NA |
| 2 | Kurula/ Godahada | Ganjam/ Odisha | 32.1 m/ 29.10.2025 | 32.84 m/ 10:00 hr/ 24.09.2026 | +0.74 m/ ~12 hrs/ 01 yr |
The CWC has not shared the old HFL date for Janjhavati site on Nagavali river.
6. Sites Where Rivers Reached Close to Old HFLs
Apart from the HFL breaches at 25 sites, we have also noticed 33 sites where flood levels in rivers have either touched or reached close to their respective HFLs. Notably, 28 of these sites are part of Ganga basin.
The maximum 21 sites are in Bihar state alone, followed by 4 in Uttar Pradesh, 3 in Madhya Pradesh, 2 in Chhattisgarh and 1 each in Jharkhand, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh states.
The flood level in Ganga River at Hathidah & Dhardha river at Kolhachak touched the HFL in first week of Sept. 2026. The Ganga River at Manhar, Sone at Maner and Gandak at Thakraha sites narrowly missed crossing the HFLs by a margin of 0.01 m, 0.02 m & 0.03 m respectively.
| SN | Site/ River | District/ State | HFL/ Date | Peak Level/ Date | Gap |
| 1 | Ballia/ Ganga | Ballia/ Uttar Pradesh | 60.39 m/ 25.08.2016 | 59.94 m/ 21:00 hr/ 05.09.2026 | -0.45 m |
| 2 | Doriganj/ Ganga | Saran/ Bihar | 57.32 m/ 23.09.2019 | 57.22 m/ 16:00 hr/ 05.09.2026 | -0.10 m |
| 3 | Maujampur/ Ganga | Bhojpur/ Bihar | 55.5 m/ 23.09.2019 | 55.05 m/ 07:00 hr/ 06.09.2026 | -0.45 m |
| 4 | Manhar/ Ganga | Vaishali/ Bihar | 48.91 m/ 16.08.2021 | 48.9 m/ 03:00 hr/ 06.09.2026 | -0.01 |
| 5 | Hathidah/ Ganga | Patna/ Bihar | 43.52 m/ 12.08.2021 | 43.52 m/ 12:00 hr/ 06.09.2026 | ~18 hrs Touched |
| 43.17 m/ 21.08.2016 | |||||
| 6 | Bhagalpur/ Ganga | Bhagalpur/ Bihar | 34.86 m/ 18.08.2021 | 34.60 m/ 05:00 hr/ 08.09.2026 | -0.26 m |
| 7 | Kahalgaon/ Ganga | Bhagalpur/ Bihar | 32.87 m/ 17.09.2003 | 32.81 m/ 21:00 hr/ 08.09.2026 | -0.06 m |
| 32.82 m/ 10.08.2025 | |||||
| 8 | Azmabad/ Ganga | Bhagalpur/ Bihar | 32.41 m/ 12.08.1971 | 31.93 m/ 03:00 hr/ 09.06.2026 | -0.48 m |
| 9 | Rewa/ Tons | Rewa/ Madhya Pradesh | 266.16 m/ 20.08.2026 | 265.78 m/ 04:00 hr/ 03.09.2026 | -0.38 m |
| 265.45 m/ 02.08.2021 | 266.08 m/ 30.08.2026 | ||||
| 10 | Niwari/ Tons | Sonbhadra/ Uttar Pradesh | 182.94 m/ 19.08.2020 | 182.72 m/ 04:00 hr/ 04.09.2026 | -0.22 m |
| 11 | Churhat/ Son | Sidhi/ Madhya Pradesh | 246.5 m/ 09.08.2020 | 246.3 m/ 22:00 hr/ 26.09.2026 | -0.20 m |
| 12 | Rajhara/ North Koel | Palamu/ Jharkhand | 183.21 m/ 20.08.2019 | 182.76 m/ 24:00 hr/ 01.09.2026 | -0.45 m |
| 183.2 m/ 19.08.2026 | -0.01 m | ||||
| 13 | Yadunathpur/ Sone | Rohtas/ Bihar | 149.35 m/ 19.07.2025 | 149.3 m/ 06:00 hr/ 02.09.2026 | -0.05 m |
| 148.14 m/ 15.08.2019 | 149.17 m/ 19:00 hr/ 04.09.2026 | -0.18 m | |||
| 14 | Banjari/ Sone | Rohtas/ Bihar | 125.89 m/ 01.08.2021 | 125.62 m/ 14:00 hr/ 02.09.2026 | -0.27 m |
| 15 | Maner/ Sone | Patna/ Bihar | 53.79 m/ 18.09.1976 | 53.77 m/ 13:00 hr/ 05.09.2026 | -0.02 m |
| 16 | Chhitauni-ghat/ Gandak | Kushi Nagar/ Uttar Pradesh | 94 m/ 29.09.2024 | 93.85 m/ 10:00 hr/ 28.09.2026 | -0.15 m |
| 93.2 m/ 07.07.2024 | |||||
| 93.05 m/ 16.06.2021 | |||||
| 17 | Thakraha/ Gandak | Pashchim Champaran/ Bihar | 78.68 m/ 23.07.2020 | 78.65 m/ 24:00 hr/ 28.09.2026 | -0.03 m |
| 18 | Kukraha/ Gandak | Gopalganj/ Bihar | 72.1 m/ 08.07.2024 | 71.91 m/ 11:00 hr/ 29.09.2026 | -0.19 m |
| 19 | Chatia/ Gandak | Purba Champaran/ Bihar | 70.04 m/ 26.07.2002 | 69.84 m/ 22:00 hr/ 29.09.2026 | -0.20 m |
| 20 | Hajipur/ Gandak | Vaishali/ Bihar | 50.93 m/ 18.08.1948 | 50.6 m/ 22:00 hr/ 05.09.2026 | -0.33 m |
| 21 | Ahraura/ Jirgo | Mirzapur/ Uttar Pradesh | 77.51 m/ 24.08.2025 | 77.05 m/ 13:00 hr/ 02.09.2026 | -0.46 m |
| 76.8 m/ 21.08.2020 | 76.98 m/ 26.08.2026 | ||||
| 22 | Durgawati/ Karmanasa* | Kaimur/ Bihar | 70.98 m/ 01.10.2019 | 70.63 m/ 21:00 hr/ 03.09.2026 | -0.35 m |
| 23 | Masaurhi/ Dhardha | Patna/ Bihar | 59.54 m/ 18.07.2025 | 59.21 m/ 19:00 hr/ 04.09.2026 | -0.33 m |
| 57.79 m/ 26.08.2024 | |||||
| 56.75 m/ 30.09.2019 | |||||
| 24 | Kolhachak/ Dhardha | Patna/ Bihar | 56.13 m/ 18.07.2025 | 56.13 m/ 11:00 hr/ 04.09.2026 | Touched |
| 55.99 m/ 30.09.2019 | |||||
| 25 | Sripalpur/ Punpun | Patna/ Bihar | 53.91 m/ 18.09.1976 | 53.55 m/ 16:00 hr/ 07.09.2026 | -0.36 m |
| 26 | Benibad/ Bagmati | Muzaffarpur/ Bihar | 50.12 m/ 07.10.2025 | 50.03 m/ 09:00 hr/ 30.09.2026 | -0.09 m |
| 50.01 m/ 12.07.2004 | |||||
| 27 | Mohauddin Nagar/ Baya | Samastipur/ Bihar | 44.97 m/ 24.07.2021 | 44.78 m/ 01:00 hr/ 08.09.2026 | -0.19 m |
| 28 | Suryagadha/ Garkhe* | Lakhisarai/ Bihar | 40.9 m/ 22.09.2024 | 40.73 m/ 17:00 hr/ 07.09.2026 | -0.17 m |
| 29 | Ambabal/ Narangi | Bastar/ Chhattisgarh | 542.55 m/ 05.07.2006 | 541.87 m/ 07:00 hr/ 26.09.2026 | -0.68 m |
| 30 | Saradaput/ Sabari | Malkangiri/ Odisha | 239.767 m/ 04.09.1994 | 239.58 m/ 20:00 hr/ 25.09.2026 | -0.18 m |
| 31 | Valamuru/ Pamuleru | East Godavari/ Andhra Pradesh | 398.145 m/ 07.08.2019 | 397.82 m/ 05:00 hr/ 25.09.2026 | -0.32 m |
| 395.82 m/ 26.07.2023 | |||||
| 32 | Bagchini/ Kunwari | Morena/ Madhya Pradesh | 169.14 m/ 04.08.2021 | 168.52 m/ 10:00 hr/ 07.09.2026 | -0.62 m |
| 163.70 m/ 10.10.2022 | |||||
| 161.71 m/ 23.09.2022 | |||||
| 161.14 m/ 04.08.2021 | |||||
| 33 | Odinaguda/ Sabari | Sukma/ Chhattisgarh | 71.64 m/ 10.09.2024 | 70.51 m/ 13:00 hrs/ 25.09.2026 | -0.13 m |
| 68.08 m/ 20.07.2023 | 68.21 m/ 04:00 hr/ 13.09.2026 | +0.13 m/ ~04 hrs/ 03 yrs | |||
| * | Elchi Reddy Palli/ Peddavagu | Bhadradri/ Telangana | NA | 69.87 m/ 05:00 hr/ 25.09.2026 |
The CWC changed the HFL details for Valamuru site on Pamuleru river from 395.82 meter dated 26.07.2023 to 398.145 meter dated 07.08.2019 only after the river breached the 2023 HFL and attained the peak of 397.82 meter on 25.09.2026.
Similarly, CWC maintained 68.08 meter HFL dated 20.07.2023 for Odinaguda site on Sabari river. As per this record, the river breached the HFL by attaining a peak of 68.21 meter on 13.09.2026. However, we found that the 2023 HFL has now been changed to 71.64 meter dated 10.09.2024 when the river attained the peak of 70.51 meter on 25.09.2026.
As per CWC’s old hydrographic record documented by us, the HFL for Kunwari river at Bagchini site was 163.70 meter dated 10.10.2022. However, we have now observed that the river has attained a peak of 168.52 meter on 07.09.2026 which is 5 meter higher than the 2022 HFL at the site.
However, the CWC now maintains 169.14 meter as HFL dated 04.08.2021 for the site, while the river had attained 161.14 meter HFL on 04.08.2021. This 8 meter rise in the HFL for the site is surprising. The issue has been shared with Director, CWC Flood Forecast division and his response is awaited.
*The Durgawati site in Kaimur district and Suryagadha site in Lakhisarai district, Bihar are on Karmanasa and Garkhe rivers and CWC hydrograph has wrongly mentioned these on Ganga river. The Elchireddypalli site on Peddavagu river has no details of HFL and we have listed the peak flood level attained by the river at this site just for future references.
SANDRP
