North Bihar is a term used for the region of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
, India, which lies north of the
Ganga river
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
.
Towns and cities
#
Naugachia is a sub division in
Bhagalpur district
Bhagalpur district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India, and Bhagalpur town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Majority of Bhagalpur district lies in South Bihar.
Geography
Bhagalpur district occupies an a ...
. It is famous for Banana farming; and known as Kelanchal of Bihar.
#
Purnia
Purnia ()(also romanized as Purnea) is a city that serves as the administrative headquarters of both Purnia district and Purnia division in the Indian state of Bihar.
Total geographical area of Purnia Urban Agglomeration is which is nex ...
is the headquarters of
Purnia division
Purnia division is an administrative geographical unit of Bihar state of India. Purnia is the administrative headquarters of the division. The division consists of Purnia district, Katihar district, Araria district, and Kishanganj district. It ...
and
Purnia district
Purnia District is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The city of Purnia is the administrative headquarters of this district. The city of Purnia has continued its tradition of hoisting the national flag at 12:07 am o ...
. It 2nd largest city of North Bihar by population. It is also known as "Mini Darjeeling" due to it humid climate. This city is called as Gateway of
North East India
, native_name_lang = mni
, settlement_type =
, image_skyline =
, image_alt =
, image_caption =
, motto =
, image_map = Northeast india.png
, ...
in Bihar. also pass through this city that connects North East to whole
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
Purnia Junction is the major railway of this city.
Gulabbagh agriculture market is the biggest maize market of
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
.
#
Katihar is the headquarters of
Katihar district
Katihar district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state in India, and Katihar city is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district is a part of Purnia Division.
It is prominently known for its Katihar Junction Rail ...
. Katihar is known for
Jute production.
#
Kishanganj
Kishanganj is a city and district headquarters of Kishanganj district in Purnia division of Bihar state.
History
Kishanganj, which was previously part of Purnia district, is part of the Mithila region.
Mithila first gained prominence after b ...
is the headquarters of
Kishanganj district
Kishanganj district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India, and Kishanganj town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Kishanganj district is a part of Purnia division (Seemanchal).
History
Kishanganj distric ...
. It is the easternmost district of Bihar. A part of this district of known as chicken neck region of India.
#
Araria
Araria is a city and a municipality that is the headquarters of Araria district in the Indian state of Bihar. Araria is situated in the northern part of Bihar.
Etymology
During the British Raj the area was under the administration of a British ...
is the headquarters of
Araria district
Araria district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. Araria district is a part of Purnia division. The district occupies an area of . Araria town is the administrative headquarters of this district.
Etymology
During the B ...
.
NH 27 (Old NH57) connect Araria to other parts of the state.
#
Madhepura
Madhepura is a municipality in Madhepura district in the Indian state of Bihar. It stands at the centre of Kosi ravine, It was called ''Madhyapura-'' a place centrally situated which was subsequently transformed as Madhipura into present Madhep ...
is the headquarters of
Madhepura district. This district was curved out from
Saharsa district
Saharsa is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar, India. Saharsa city is the administrative headquarters of this district. Saharsa district is a part of the Kosi Division and it became a district on 1 April 1954 and has subsequently become ...
. This is a flood-prone district of
Kosi region.
#
Supaul is the headquarters & chief town of
Supaul district. Supaul is set to get India's largest road bridge sharing some part with Madhubani district. The construction site of the bridge is 6 to 8 miles away from Supaul. A bridge on
mighty kosi river was built in 2012 near
Nirmali in Supaul, after the inauguration of the koshi megabridge. The bridge which was already a part of eastern-western corridor became operational & hence completing the whole circuit of 3507 km long Porbandar-Silchar highway & providing direct road connectivity to cities like Lucknow & Kanpur
#
Saharsa
Saharsa is a city and Municipal corporation in the Saharsa District in the eastern part of the state of Bihar, India. It is situated near the eastern banks of the Kosi River. It serves as the administrative headquarters for Saharsa District a ...
is the headquarters of
Saharsa district
Saharsa is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar, India. Saharsa city is the administrative headquarters of this district. Saharsa district is a part of the Kosi Division and it became a district on 1 April 1954 and has subsequently become ...
and
Kosi division.Saharsa is located in the Mithila region, one of the earliest centers of Brahminical civilization in India. Saharsa is considered as the heart of whole
Mithila region
Mithila (), also known as Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal is a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothill ...
. It's the birthplace to many legends like
Mandana Misra,
Laxminath Gosain, Ubhai Bharti, etc. The region of Bangaon and Mahisi is one of the most civil servants producing area of the nation.
#
Khagaria
Khagaria is a city in Indian state of Bihar and the administrative headquarters of Khagaria district. Khagaria is a part of Munger division. It is located at and has an average elevation of 36 metres (118 feet). The Khagaria Junc ...
is the headquarters of
Khagaria district
Khagaria district is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India. The district headquarters are located at Khagaria. Earlier it was a part of Munger District as a sub-division that was created in 1943–44. It was upgraded to the ...
. Two major rivers of North Bihar
Ganga river
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
and the
Kosi river flows through the district.
#
Begusarai
Begusarai is the industrial and financial capital of Bihar and the administrative headquarters of the Begusarai district, which is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The district lies on the northern bank of the ...
is the industrial and financial capital of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
and headquarters of
Begusarai district.
Barauni
Barauni is an Industrial City situated on the bank of the river Ganges in Begusarai district in the state of Bihar, India.
Transport
Railways
Barauni Junction is one of the important stations in Bihar and has strategic location. It is a ju ...
and
Begusarai
Begusarai is the industrial and financial capital of Bihar and the administrative headquarters of the Begusarai district, which is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The district lies on the northern bank of the ...
are the main industrial hub of Bihar.
Barauni
Barauni is an Industrial City situated on the bank of the river Ganges in Begusarai district in the state of Bihar, India.
Transport
Railways
Barauni Junction is one of the important stations in Bihar and has strategic location. It is a ju ...
is one of the important railway junctions of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
. It is the land of great people like
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
Ramdhari Singh (23 September 1908 – 24 April 1974), known by his pen name Dinkar, was an Indian Hindi and Maithili language poet, essayist, freedom fighter, patriot and academic. He emerged as a poet of rebellion as a consequence of his ...
and
Shri Krishna Sinha
Shri Krishna Sinha (21 October 1887 – 31 January 1961), also known as Shri Babu, was the first chief minister of the Indian state of Bihar (1946–61). Except for the period of World War II, Sinha was the chief minister of Bihar from the time ...
.
#
Samastipur
Samastipur is a city and a municipal corporation (nagar nigam) in Bihar, India. It is the headquarter of Samastipur district and comes under Darbhanga division. The Budhi Gandak river flows through the town. It is one of the five railway divisi ...
is the headquarters of
Samastipur district
Samastipur is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar in India. The district headquarters are located at Samastipur. The district occupies an area of 2904 km² and has a population of 4,261,566.
History
Samastipur became a district ...
. The
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University, India's first-ever Imperial Agriculture Research Institute, is located in Pusa, Samastipur district.
#
Darbhanga is the headquarters of
Darbhanga district and
Darbhanga division
Darbhanga Division is an administrative geographical unit of Bihar state of India, and Darbhanga city is the administrative headquarters of the division. , the division consists of Darbhanga district, Madhubani district, and Samastipur district.
...
.
Darbhanga is the cultural capital of bihar.It is considered the Medical Capital of North bihar. It has
DMCH & second AIIMS Hospital in the State after Capital Patna.
#
Madhubani is the headquarters of
Madhubani district
Madhubani district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar, India, and is a part of Darbhanga division. Its administrative headquarters are located in Madhubani. The district has an area of and has a population of 4,487,379 (as of 2011 ...
.
Jainagar in
Madhubani district
Madhubani district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar, India, and is a part of Darbhanga division. Its administrative headquarters are located in Madhubani. The district has an area of and has a population of 4,487,379 (as of 2011 ...
connects North Bihar to
Janakpurdham
Janakpurdham or Janakpur ( ne, जनकपुर, ) is a sub-metropolitan city in Dhanusha District, Madhesh Province, Nepal. The city is a hub for religious and cultural tourism. A headquarter of Dhanusha district, ''Janakpur'' is also the ...
in
Mithila region of Nepal.
#
Hajipur is the headquarters of
Vaishali district
Vaishali district is a district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is a part of Tirhut division. Vaishali is known for being the birthplace of Mahavira of the Jain religion. Hajipur, its largest city and district headquarters, is known for its ...
, located on northern bank of
Ganga river
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
, opposite to
Patna
Patna (
), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...
on southern bank. It is the headquarters of the
East Central Railway zone
The East Central Railway (abbreviated ECR) is one of the 19 railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Hajipur and comprises Sonpur, Samastipur, Danapur, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, and Dhanbad divisions.
History
First set up on 8 ...
of the
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...
.
#
Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur () is a city located in Muzaffarpur district in the Tirhut region of the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of the Tirhut division, the Muzaffarpur district and the Muzaffarpur Railway District. It is the fourth ...
is the financial capital of North Bihar. It the headquarters of
Muzaffarpur district
Muzaffarpur District is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. Muzaffarpur district is part of and also the headquarters of Tirhut Division Tirhut is the ancient name of all of northern Bihar.
History
Muzaffarpur was a par ...
and
Tirhut division. All the important roadways (like NH 27, NH 28, NH 57, NH 77, NH 102) and railways (like Muzaffarpur-Hajipur, Muzaffarpur-Motihari, Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur-Samastipur) have their junction in the city.
#
Sitamarhi
Sitamarhi is an Indian city and the district headquarters of the Sitamarhi district in the Mithila region of Bihar and is a part of the Tirhut Division. It dates back to the time of Ramayana and is considered as the place where Janaka found Sit ...
is the headquarters of
Sitamarhi district
Sitamarhi is one of the districts in the Mithila region of the Indian state of Bihar, India. Dumra is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district is a part of the Tirhut Division and is located along the border of Nepal.
H ...
. It has vedic importance as
Goddess Sita
Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...
is believed to be unearthed here.
#
Sheohar
Sheohar (pronounced, Shivahar) is the principal city of Sheohar district in Bihar, India. It is Located Northwest City 31.06 kilometres Kasba Mehsi in Mehsi It is a part of the Tirhut Division.
Geography
Sheohar is located at coor 26.52N, 8 ...
is the headquarters of
Sheohar district, the smallest district of North Bihar. It was curved out from
Sitamarhi District
Sitamarhi is one of the districts in the Mithila region of the Indian state of Bihar, India. Dumra is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district is a part of the Tirhut Division and is located along the border of Nepal.
H ...
.
#
Motihari
Motihari is the headquarters of East Champaran district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is located District entry point and New City 40.09 kilometres Northeast Mehsi. north of the state capital Patna.
Geography
Motihari is located on 26 ...
is the headquarters of
East Champaran
East Champaran is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India.The district headquarters are located at Motihari. Prior to 1st Dec 1977, there was a single district called "Champaran". On 1st Dec 1977, the district was divided into 2 ...
district.
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
had launched non-cooperation movement here. It has been announced to establish a Central University in Motihari. This would be the first nationalized University in North Bihar.
#
Bettiah
Bettiah is a city and administrative headquarters of West Champaran district ( Tirhut Division) - ( Tirhut), near Indo-Nepal border, north-west of Patna, in Bihar state of India.
History
In 1244 A.D., Gangeshwar Dev, a Bhumihar Brahmin ...
is the headquarters of
West Champaran
West Champaran is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India, located just west of Birgunj. It is the largest district in Bihar with an area of 5,228 km²(2,019sq mi). It is a part of Tirhut Division. The district headquarte ...
district. It is the westernmost district of North Bihar and Northernmost district of Bihar state as whole.
#
Chhapra
Chhapra is a city and headquarters of the Saran district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is situated near the junction of the Ghaghara River and the Ganges River.
Chhapra grew in importance as a river-based market in the 18th century when t ...
is the headquarters of
Saran district.
#
Siwan is the headquarters of
Siwan district.
#
Gopalganj
Gopalganj may refer to:
Bangladesh
*Gopalganj District, Bangladesh, a district of Dhaka Division
** Gopalganj, Bangladesh, a town and headquarter of Gopalganj district
** Gopalganj Sadar Upazila, an upazila of Gopalganj District
** Gopalganj-1, a ...
is the headquarters of
Gopalganj
Gopalganj may refer to:
Bangladesh
*Gopalganj District, Bangladesh, a district of Dhaka Division
** Gopalganj, Bangladesh, a town and headquarter of Gopalganj district
** Gopalganj Sadar Upazila, an upazila of Gopalganj District
** Gopalganj-1, a ...
district.
Languages and dialects
*
Bajjika is spoken in
Muzaffarpur district
Muzaffarpur District is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. Muzaffarpur district is part of and also the headquarters of Tirhut Division Tirhut is the ancient name of all of northern Bihar.
History
Muzaffarpur was a par ...
,
Vaishali district
Vaishali district is a district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is a part of Tirhut division. Vaishali is known for being the birthplace of Mahavira of the Jain religion. Hajipur, its largest city and district headquarters, is known for its ...
,
Sitamarhi district
Sitamarhi is one of the districts in the Mithila region of the Indian state of Bihar, India. Dumra is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district is a part of the Tirhut Division and is located along the border of Nepal.
H ...
and
Sheohar district.
*
Bhojpuri is predominantly spoken in
Saran,
Siwan,
Gopalganj
Gopalganj may refer to:
Bangladesh
*Gopalganj District, Bangladesh, a district of Dhaka Division
** Gopalganj, Bangladesh, a town and headquarter of Gopalganj district
** Gopalganj Sadar Upazila, an upazila of Gopalganj District
** Gopalganj-1, a ...
,
West Champaran
West Champaran is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India, located just west of Birgunj. It is the largest district in Bihar with an area of 5,228 km²(2,019sq mi). It is a part of Tirhut Division. The district headquarte ...
,
East Champaran
East Champaran is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India.The district headquarters are located at Motihari. Prior to 1st Dec 1977, there was a single district called "Champaran". On 1st Dec 1977, the district was divided into 2 ...
and some parts of
Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur () is a city located in Muzaffarpur district in the Tirhut region of the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of the Tirhut division, the Muzaffarpur district and the Muzaffarpur Railway District. It is the fourth ...
.
*
Maithili is spoken in
Darbhanga division
Darbhanga Division is an administrative geographical unit of Bihar state of India, and Darbhanga city is the administrative headquarters of the division. , the division consists of Darbhanga district, Madhubani district, and Samastipur district.
...
,
Kosi division,
Purnia division
Purnia division is an administrative geographical unit of Bihar state of India. Purnia is the administrative headquarters of the division. The division consists of Purnia district, Katihar district, Araria district, and Kishanganj district. It ...
and in some parts of
Tirhut division as well as in
Begusarai district and
Naugachia.
*
Surjapuri is spoken in
Kishanganj
Kishanganj is a city and district headquarters of Kishanganj district in Purnia division of Bihar state.
History
Kishanganj, which was previously part of Purnia district, is part of the Mithila region.
Mithila first gained prominence after b ...
,
Katihar and in some eastern parts of
Purnia district
Purnia District is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The city of Purnia is the administrative headquarters of this district. The city of Purnia has continued its tradition of hoisting the national flag at 12:07 am o ...
.
Proposed state
There is an ongoing movement in the Maithili speaking region of Bihar for a separate
Mithila state. What will be the capital of the state has yet to be decided, however
Begusarai
Begusarai is the industrial and financial capital of Bihar and the administrative headquarters of the Begusarai district, which is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The district lies on the northern bank of the ...
,
Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur () is a city located in Muzaffarpur district in the Tirhut region of the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of the Tirhut division, the Muzaffarpur district and the Muzaffarpur Railway District. It is the fourth ...
and
Darbhanga is the most likely candidate.
Economy
Agricultural economy
Agriculture is the main economic activity of the region.
The above industries have generated considerable employment and have also been helpful in establishing a number of small industries including a few cottage industries. The most important item that is manufactured in Muzaffarpur city is railway wagon.
While dudhia malda variety of mangoes. Barauni is the prominent industrial Town of North Bihar and Bihar state having
Barauni Refinery, Barauni fertilizer, Barauni Carbons, railway yard and
Barauni thermal power station
NTPC, Barauni Or Barauni Thermal Power Station is an existing 720 megawatt coal-fired power station earlier owned by Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB)and currently by NTPC Limited. The power station is located at Barauni in Begusarai dist ...
and is the industrial capitals of North Bihar. Hajipur is also new emerging industrial area due to its proximity with Patna leading to development of industrial area.
North Bihar is also home to majority of sugar production of Bihar and more than 20 sugar industries are located in Bihar but about a third of it is operational mostly in Champaran belt, Gopalganj, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, etc.
Rivers and floods
There are several rivers flowing through this region from north to south and merge in the
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
river. These rivers along with floods bring every year fertile soil to the region. However, sometimes government sponsored floods causes loss of thousands of lives. Major rivers of North Bihar are
Mahananda,
Gandak
The Gandaki River, also known as the Narayani and the Gandak, is one of the major rivers in Nepal and a left bank tributary of the Ganges in India. Its total catchment area amounts to , most of it in Nepal. In the Nepal Himalayas, it is notabl ...
,
Kosi,
Bagmati
, "Tiger Gate")
, source1_location = Shivapuri, Sundarijal, Kathmandu, Nepal
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, mouth = Confluence with Kamala River
, mouth_location = Jagmohra, Bihar, India
, mouth_coo ...
,
Kamala
Kamala refers to:
People
* Kamala (name), given name and surname, includes list of people and characters with the name
** Kamala Harris, the 49th and current Vice President of the United States
* Kamala (wrestler) (1950–2020), American profess ...
,
Balan,
Budhi Gandak
The Burhi Gandak River is a tributary of the Ganges. It is known as Narayani in its upper reaches. The Burhi (“Old”) Gandak flows parallel to and east of the Gandak River in an old channel.
Course
The Burhi Gandak originates from Chautarwa C ...
.
Natural floods
Since the beginning of human civilization, rivers have been an important part of human life. North Bihar has 7 major rivers and several tributaries to them. North Bihar districts are vulnerable to at least five major flood-causing rivers during
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...
–
Mahananda River
The Mahananda River (Pron:/ˌməhɑːˈnʌndə or ˌmɑːhəˈnʌndə/) is a trans-boundary river that flows through the Indian states of Bihar and West Bengal, and Bangladesh. It is an important tributary of the Ganges.
Course
The Mahananda ...
,
Koshi River,
Bagmati River
, "Tiger Gate")
, source1_location = Shivapuri, Sundarijal, Kathmandu, Nepal
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, mouth = Confluence with Kamala River
, mouth_location = Jagmohra, Bihar, India
, mouth_coo ...
,
Burhi Gandak River
The Burhi Gandak River is a tributary of the Ganges. It is known as Narayani in its upper reaches. The Burhi (“Old”) Gandak flows parallel to and east of the Gandak River in an old channel.
Course
The Burhi Gandak originates from Chautarwa ...
and
Gandak
The Gandaki River, also known as the Narayani and the Gandak, is one of the major rivers in Nepal and a left bank tributary of the Ganges in India. Its total catchment area amounts to , most of it in Nepal. In the Nepal Himalayas, it is notabl ...
– which originate in Nepal. All these rivers receive water from the
Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
. This is the reason that these rivers never have a shortage of water. Every year, any of these rivers had been bringing valuable floods for the people of North Bihar. Flood waters used to enter the agricultural land, leave their quite fertile silt and recede to the river. This pattern of humane flood was a boon for North Bihar. This made her land extremely fertile. But, natural floods are no more in North Bihar.
Man-made floods
Soon after independence, the Congress Government of Bihar made several attempts to domesticate these rivers. High barriers or Bandhs were made on their both banks. This resulted in inhumane and destructive floods. Bandhs caused deposition of silts in the bottom of rivers, because of which, depth of rivers decreased, and so their water holding capacity also decreased. This is the reason these rivers bring more frequent floods now. With flood water, sand comes in force and gets deposited on the land. This way the land of the region in turning barren. Floods, which were once a boon for North Bihar, has now turned to be a curse for it.
Kosi flood 2008
The 2008 Kosi flood was one of the most disastrous floods in the history of North Bihar, an impoverished and densely populated region in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. A breach in the
Kosi embankment near the Indo-Nepal border (at
Kusha
Kusha was a Suryavansha
The Solar dynasty ( IAST: Suryavaṃśa or Ravivaṃśa in Sanskrit) or the Ikshvaku dynasty was founded by the legendary king Ikshvaku.Geography of Rigvedic India, M.L. Bhargava, Lucknow 1964, pp. 15-18, 46-49, 92-98 ...
in
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
) occurred on 18 August 2008. The river changed course and inundated areas which hadn't experienced floods in many decades. The flood affected over 2.3 million people in North Bihar.
The flood killed 250 people and forced nearly 3 million people from their homes in North Bihar.
More than 300,000 houses were destroyed and at least 340,000 hectares (840,000 acres) of crops were damaged.
[ Villagers in North Bihar ate raw rice and flour mixed with polluted water. Hunger and disease were widespread. The Supaul district was the worst-hit; surging waters swamped 1,000 square kilometres (247,000 acres) of farmlands, destroying crops.
Image:The Kosi, August 8, 2008.jpg, The Kosi before it flooded in August 2008
Image:The Kosi, August 24, 2008.jpg, The Kosi during the August 2008 flood
]
2017 North Bihar Floods
2017 Floods affected 19 districts of North Bihar causing death of 514 people. This flood was result of sudden increase in water discharge through rivers- Gandak, Burhi Gandak and Bagmati, Kamla, Kosi and Mahananda- due to heavy rain in the catchment areas of the major rivers of north Bihar in Nepal. Araria district
Araria district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. Araria district is a part of Purnia division. The district occupies an area of . Araria town is the administrative headquarters of this district.
Etymology
During the B ...
accounted for 95 deaths alone, followed by Sitamarhi (34), West Champaran (29), Katihar (26), East Champaran (19) while 22 have died in Madhubani, Supaul(13) and Madhepura(15). 11 deaths were reported in Kishanganj, while Darbhanga accounted for 19 deaths, Purnea (9), Gopalganj (9), Sheohar(4), Muzaffarpur(7), Samastipur(1) and Saharsa(4) registered four deaths each while Khagaria and Saran accounted for 7 deaths each. Around 1.71 crore people are hit by the floods.
See also
*Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
*North India
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...
References
{{Reflist, 2
External links
Tirhut
North Bihar
Mithila
Regions of Bihar