Record-Breaking Flooding Hits Gandak River in Nepal and India
NASA
- Torrential rains across Nepal’s Lumbini and Gandaki provinces between September 24 and 27, 2026, pushed the Gandak River (also known as the Narayani) to record water levels.
- The flooding triggered landslides and breached river embankments, impacting hundreds of villages and displacing thousands of people across Nepal and India.
- Official data from Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology confirmed a record-high water level of 11.94 meters at Devghāṭ, the highest since records began in the 1960s.
Impact and Measurements
- Major gauge stations in India, including Bagaha, Dumariaghat, Rewaghat, and Lalganj, recorded new high-water marks.
- Settlements in Bagaha, Areraj, and Fulia Khand faced significant inundation as floodwaters breached infrastructure.
- Satellite imagery from NASA’s Terra and Aqua missions (using MODIS data) captured the significant expansion of the river channel between September 20 and September 29, 2026.
Monitoring Resources
- NASA provides ongoing tracking of rainfall and flood events through tools such as Worldview, the FLOOD Viewer, and the GPM IMERG Global Viewer.