Patna, Sept. 14 -- Nearly 50 lakh people in 15 districts of Bihar have been affected by floods as heavy rain over the past few days swelled rivers already flowing above their danger marks, officials said on Monday.

The state has recorded 112.7 mm of rain so far in September, around six per cent above normal. Incessant rain in the catchment areas of rivers flowing from Nepal into Bihar, coupled with heavy rainfall, has caused several rivers and streams to rise above danger levels.

According to the Disaster Management Department, 49.67 lakh people in Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Buxar, Samastipur, Munger, Katihar, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Purnea, Madhepura and Araria have been affected.

The Ganga was flowing at 36.19 metres at Sultanganj in Bhagalpur at 6 pm, 1.69 metres above the danger level. The Kosi was above the danger mark at Baltara and Kursela, while the Budhi Gandak, Punpun, Bagmati and Ghaghara were also flowing above danger levels at several locations.

The administration was operating 1,248 community kitchens and 13 relief camps, providing accommodation, food, medical care and other essentials to around 11,508 people. Twenty-seven State Disaster Response Force teams and 10 National Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed for relief and rescue operations.

The Gandak barrage at Valmiki Nagar recorded a discharge of 1,09,000 cusecs at 4 pm, with the trend rising. The Kosi Barrage at Birpur recorded 1,63,315 cusecs, against this year's peak of 2,55,425 cusecs on July 20.

Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said a central team led by Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan would visit Bihar to assess the flood situation, though he did not specify when it would arrive.

Choudhary said the state government was making sustained efforts to find a permanent solution to Bihar's recurring flood problem. He stressed the need for river conservation, improved water management and long-term flood-control measures.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav accused the Centre of discriminating against Bihar in flood relief. In a post on X, he alleged that Gujarat received generous assistance even after minor flooding, while Bihar had reported deaths, livestock losses, extensive damage and millions of affected people.

Yadav said neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced relief for Bihar.

The situation has remained particularly serious along the Ganga, Kosi and other major rivers. The Ganga was also above the danger mark at Digha, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah, Kahalgaon and Munger, while the Punpun crossed the threshold at Sripalpur and the Bagmati at Benibad. The Ghaghara was above the danger level at Darauli.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.