PATNA, July 12 -- Torrential rains battered the state capital and several other districts overnight and into Saturday morning as the monsoon finally asserted itself with full force, leaving low-lying areas submerged and throwing normal life out of gear. Streets turned into rivulets, traffic crawled at a snail's pace and residents waded through knee-deep water in many localities, even as authorities scrambled to clear the deluge. In Patna, areas such as Rajiv Nagar, Nai Sadak locality of Patna City, Boring Road, Karbigahiya and New Punaichak witnessed severe waterlogging, forcing shops near main roads to down shutters. The LNJP Hospital in Rajvanshi Nagar resembled a shallow lake, with water reaching doctors' chambers and forcing attendants to carry patients through flooded corridors. At Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), water entered the college campus and medicine ward, causing hardship for patients and staff. The state secretariat complex also saw inundation, though efforts cleared it within an hour. Tragedy struck in Saharsa, where lightning claimed two lives - a minor and a woman - amid the stormy weather. Officials have urged residents to stay away from open fields, trees, and electric poles during such spells. The India meteorological department (IMD) has sounded a strong alert, issuing an orange warning for heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds up to 40 kmph in as many as 26 districts today. Another eight districts are under yellow alert. Local met officials attribute the active spell to a monsoon trough lingering near the state combined with moist easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal feeding into the system. Medium to heavy rains are likely across large parts of Bihar in the next 24 to 48 hours, with isolated pockets possibly receiving even heavier downpours. Patna municipal corporation commissioner Yashpal Meena took to the streets personally to assess the situation, directing teams to ensure smooth drainage. Nineteen quick response teams (QRTs), each comprising three members equipped with vehicles, have been deployed zone-wise. The Bihar urban infrastructure development corporation (BUIDCO) is monitoring major drains and pump houses round-the-clock, activating automatic pumps as water levels rise. City authorities have appealed to citizens to avoid unnecessary travel, especially through underpasses and low-lying zones. Beyond the cities, the downpour has raised concerns over river levels. Several rivers across Bihar are showing a rising trend following the widespread rainfall and upstream discharges, raising the spectre of flooding in low-lying and catchment areas. Farmers in some rural pockets, however, welcomed the rain after a relatively subdued monsoon onset, hoping it would aid paddy transplantation. With forecasts indicating continued wet weather over the coming days, including on July 12 and 13, officials are on high alert. Residents have been advised to exercise caution, particularly in vulnerable districts,...