Swollen waters of river Ganga inundated many places from Buxar to Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district of Bihar on Friday and threatened to flood the State capital, Patna.
Thousands of people have been shifted from flooded areas to relief camps set up by the government.
As many as 14 diara (riverine) areas from Maner to Mokama have been completely submerged, forcing people to migrate to safer places with their cattle. All the river banks in the State capital have been flooded. Water has been flowing above the danger mark, threatening to enter Patna. The water level is highest at Digha and Gandhi ghats (banks).
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Water in river Punpun has also been flowing above the danger mark at Sripalpur, but on Friday it showed a receding trend. Gandak, Kosi, Sone, Kamla and Bagmati rivers have been showing a rising trend in different parts of the State.
Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department has predicted widespread rainfall in the State till Saturday.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been making aerial survey of the flooded areas in the last two days, along with government officials. On Friday, he visited areas in Saran and met protesting people at Muserpur.
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“Water level in river Ganga has been rising and I’ve been visiting places with officials and engineers to take stock of the situation. I’ve asked officials to remain alert and provide relief to the affected people,” Mr. Kumar told media persons on Friday.
The Patna district administration has, meanwhile, set up 17 relief camps and four community kitchens at different river banks to provide relief and food. “We’re providing food round the clock to an average of a thousand people coming from the other side of the Ganga river,” said Nagendra Prasad and Manish Kumar, cooks at Digha ghat relief camp in Patna.
Electric crematoriums at river banks have also been inundated. “Those who have to perform funeral rites have to carry bodies and wood to the raised platforms,” said Vinod Kumar who sells wood at the Gulabi ghat crematorium.
Kalawati Devi and Nagendra Prasad came to Digha ghat in Patna on Friday from across the river. “We’ve come here with our cattle and expensive belongings. This time, the flood in the river is quite alarming”, they said as they disembarked from a country boat.
Patna Divisional Commissioner Sanjay Agrawal said national and State disaster response forces had been pressed into service. “Hopefully, the rising waters may start receding in the coming days,” he said.