Patna (Bihar) [India], October 3 : Mi-17 V5 helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were pressed into service to carry out flood relief operations in Bihar following rising waters and breaches along the Gandak River, the IAF said.
The IAF said its "Team Silver Falchions", operating from Patna, flew through the day on October 2 to deliver 10 tonnes of essential relief material to flood-affected areas across Chakia, Prithvipur, Satjoda, Karcholia and Maker in Saran district.
"Through challenging conditions and difficult terrain, the mission brought much-needed relief to those affected by the floods, reaffirming the IAF's unwavering commitment to standing with the people in times of need," the IAF said in a post on X.
The relief operation continues in Bihar as authorities respond to the flood situation.
"Ready to Respond. Committed to Serve. Nation First Always," the IAF said. 
Meanwhile, according to an official release from the water resources department on September 29, a discharge of 5,43,500 cusecs was released from the Gandak Barrage at Valmikinagar at 6 am on September 28. The water is currently passing through the downstream districts of West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali.
The discharge at the Gandak Barrage remained above 5 lakh cusecs for 13 hours and above 4 lakh cusecs for 32 hours, the release said.
The Water Resources Department said significant rainfall was also recorded on September 26 and 27 in the border districts of Bihar along the Gandak River--namely West Champaran, East Champaran, and Gopalganj--causing the river's water level downstream of the Gandak Barrage to be already elevated.
It is noteworthy that although the discharge from the Gandak Barrage at Valmikinagar was slightly lower this time compared to the peak discharge of 5,62,500 cusecs recorded in 2024, the river registered a new all-time high water level of 91.25 meters at the Bagaha gauge site; this is 0.35 meters higher than the previous peak of 90.90 meters (recorded in 2024)," the release said.