PATNA, Sept. 4 -- Bihar remained on high flood alert on Thursday as the Ganga continued to rise in Patna, prompting the state government to step up preparedness and deploy disaster-response teams in vulnerable areas. A high flood alert was sounded in 13 districts across Bihar, including Patna, Kishanganj, Araria, Supaul, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga, Khagaria, Saran, Vaishali, East Champaran and West Champaran, as heavy rains and surging rivers crossed danger marks. Ganga is likely to breach the "highest flood mark" at Gandhi Ghat in Patna on Thursday night, the Disaster Management Department said in a statement. In the state capital, the district administration has put officials on alert to ensure that water from Ganga does not enter the residential areas near the banks of Ganga and also asked officials to plug in any leakage from the Ganga protection wall by identifying the leaks. All the 1O8 entrances of the protection wall have been closed by the orders of district magistrate, Patna, Kundan Kumar, who along with senior officers, inspected the rising water level in Ganga in Patna on Thursday. The drainage pumping stations have been made operational to flush out water from low-lying areas of the city even as officials have been asked to monitor the sluice gates to address any seepage. A press statement by Patna administration said that the DM has instructed all the officials of PMC, water resources department and BUDCO to maintain night vigil so as to ensure that flood water does not enter Patna including areas like Patliputra colony and the drain near the Sadaqat Ashram have been asked to be closed so that Ganga water does not gush into the city areas. The Patna DM has also urged people to refrain from going to rivers for bathing or innundated areas unnecessarily and also caution children not to venture into innundated areas. Patna is severely impacted as the Ganga, Son, and Punpun rivers flow well above the danger mark. The Ganga at Gandhi Ghat in Patna rose to 50.25 metres by noon on Thursday, 1.65 metres above the danger mark. The level had climbed steadily from 49.40 metres on September 1 morning to 49.50 metres that evening, 49.71 metres on September 2 morning and 49.98 metres by evening, said a government statement on Thursday. The Disaster Management Department officials, in fact, issued a warining late on Thursday that Ganga was likely to swell to "highest flood level" at Gandhi Ghat on Thursday night. Officials added that they were closely monitoring the situation at Gandhi Ghat and Hathidah. Several low-lying areas have already been affected in Patna, and rising levels of the Ganga, Punpun and other rivers have heightened fears of further flooding and erosion. The overflow of the Punpun has also reportedly swept away a recently built road at Bakarchak, while hundreds of acres of paddy fields have been submerged. Movement of vehicles has been stopped at Bhadra, Naujar and Mahavir ghats in Patna, and SDRF personnel have been deployed. Sub-divisional officer Kashish Bakshi appealed to residents to remain alert, and asked children and women not to venture out in flood waters. At least eight districts - Bhagalpur, Khagaria, Saharsa, Supaul, Kishanganj, Araria, Purnia and Katihar - are facing serious erosion threats from the Ganga, Kosi, Mahananda, Kankai, Bakra and Parman rivers. Floodwaters have begun entering vulnerable areas in parts of Chhapra, while several families have moved to safer locations. Chief minister Samrat Choudhary inspected the situation on Thursday and reviewed the preparedness of officials, including the safety of embankments and arrangements in potentially affected areas. He will conduct an aerial survey of affected areas on Friday afternoon and hold a high-level review meeting later in the day to assess the flood situation, relief and rescue preparations. Choudhary directed officials to keep SDRF and NDRF teams on alert and ensure adequate deployment of rescue personnel. He also ordered advance arrangements for shelters, medical facilities, drinking water, food and other essential supplies in vulnerable areas. "The safety of the people is the government's top priority," Choudhary said, directing the administration to remain in close coordination with residents and respond immediately to any emergency. Water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary separately reviewed flood-fighting operations from the department's control command centre in Patna. Through video-conferencing, he took stock of the rising Punpun and Dardha levels, anti-erosion work at the Kajikoraiya-Raghopur embankment in Kharik block of Bhagalpur and other vulnerable stretches. The minister said that the flood and erosion fighting teams had so far managed to protect the railway embankment at Raghopur, but described the situation as "critical". He directed senior officials and engineers to remain stationed at vulnerable sites and maintain round-the-clock monitoring. In Bhagalpur, the Ganga was in full spate as suspected erosion continued in the diara areas. Several villages in Raghopur have been surrounded by water, leaving settlements virtually cut off and intensifying fears of further erosion. Residents said that the scale of the river's fury has triggered unprecedented anxiety. "If erosion continues, we'll lose not only our homes but also our existence," said 60-year-old Sudip Mandal of Raghopur, one of the worst-affected villages. For others, the Ganga has become a source of both faith and fear. Sixty-five-year-old Sonam Devi prayed for the river to recede and spare her home. Sangeeta Devi, 50, said floods had traditionally brought fertility and prosperity, but this year residents fear losing their homes, farmland and savings. The threat extends beyond Bhagalpur. In Saharsa, around 140 km away, Kosi-induced erosion is creating similar distress. In Kundah village under Mahishi block, the river allegedly washed away a government middle school, affecting around 300 children. Anti-erosion work carried out last year failed to prevent the damage. Villager Mohammad Kamran, 55, said that students now have to travel three to four kilometres after the school was merged with another institution. Environmental activist Amit Anand said that villages such as Sattaur and Birjain in the Kosi belt face a threat similar to Raghopur, with homes and large tracts of agricultural land already lost to erosion. He warned that several villages in Navhatta, Mahishi, Simri Bakhtiyarpur and Salkhua blocks could face a similar fate if protective measures are not strengthened. In Madhepura, the rising Kosi has begun spreading into low-lying areas, worsening the situation in parts of Chausa and Alamnagar. Villagers are facing growing difficulties as water enters agricultural land and threatens settlements. There was, however, some relief in the Sone river belt of Rohtas after the river level began falling on Thursday following three days of heavy rain in its upper catchment areas. Water resources department officials said that high discharges from the Bansagar and Rehand dams in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and the Mohammadganj Bhim barrage in Jharkhand had started receding. Discharge from Indrapuri Barrage, which stood at 5.63 lakh cusecs on Wednesday, fell to 4.40 lakh cusecs by 6pm on Thursday. It is expected to decline further to around 3.5 lakh cusecs on Friday if the trend continues, said WRD chief engineer Ajay Kumar Singh. Rohtas district magistrate Deepak Kumar Mishra said the administration remained on alert and advised people in low-lying areas to stay away from the river and avoid visiting vegetable fields along its higher banks. The administration, he said, was keeping a close watch as the Sone is a hilly river and its levels can change rapidly following heavy rainfall across its vast catchment spread over four states. Meanwhile, leader of opposition, Tejashwi Yadav took to X to, as he said, "Many rivers in Bihar are flowing above the danger mark. Rising water levels and flooding in rivers such as the Ganga, Son, Punpun, Gandak, Budhi Gandak, Bagmati, Kosi, etc., have caused panic among the people. More than 15 districts are in the grip of floods, but the NDA government has not yet made any preparations at the administrative level for flood prevention and relief efforts. The government has not provided any facilities for the safety of the general public or for those affected by the floods. Nor has any awareness campaign been launched." "In the diara areas, due to the disruption of electricity supply, villagers are facing not only darkness but also problems with drinking water. Due to the disruption of contact between villages and block headquarters, shortages of rations and essential goods have begun. We demand from our government that the diara areas be immediately declared flood-affected," said Yadav....