Bihar floodwater fish contamination advisory

Following flash floods in Nepal triggered by a glacier collapse on August 26, floodwaters from the Nepal — Trishuli River flowed into India — Bihar via the Gandak and Kosi rivers. The India — Bihar India — Department of Dairy, Fisheries and Animal Resources issued a public health advisory warning residents against catching, buying, selling, or consuming fish found in floodwaters, citing potential contamination by sewage, bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Unusual fish sightings and reports of illness after consumption prompted the advisory. The floodwaters also carried debris, wreckage, and human and animal remains into India — Bihar, raising concerns about waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis. Existing groundwater contamination with arsenic and iron in border districts compounds the risk. India's Ministry of External Affairs reported rescuing 163 Indian nationals from Nepal and deploying a forensics team and a tunnel rescue team. The floods have reportedly killed over 1,000 people in Nepal, with thousands missing.