Nearly 50 lakh people across 15 districts of Bihar have been affected by floods as heavy rain in recent days caused rivers already flowing above danger levels to swell further, officials said on Monday.Bihar has recorded 112.7 mm of rainfall so far this month, about six per cent above normal, according to the local weather office.According to the Disaster Management Department, floods have affected 49.67 lakh people across 15 districts in Bihar.The affected districts include Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Buxar, Samastipur, Munger, Katihar, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Purnea, Madhepura and Araria.An official said incessant rain in the catchment areas of rivers flowing from Nepal into Bihar, along with heavy rainfall in the state, has pushed several rivers and streams above their danger marks, as cited by PTI.The Ganga was flowing at 36.19 metres at Sultanganj in Bhagalpur at 6.00 pm on Monday, 1.69 metres above the danger level.The Kosi river was flowing above the danger mark at Baltara and Kursela, while the Budhi Gandak had crossed the danger level at Khagaria. The Ganga was above the danger mark at Digha, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah, Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon and Munger. The Punpun at Sripalpur, Bagmati at Benibad and Ghaghara at Darauli were also flowing above their respective danger levels.The administration has set up 1,248 community kitchens and 13 relief camps in the flood-hit areas. Around 11,508 people have been provided accommodation, food, medical care and other essential facilities, officials said.
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The Disaster Management Department said the Gandak barrage at Valmiki Nagar recorded a water discharge of 1,09,000 cusecs at 4 pm on Monday, with the flow continuing to rise.At the Kosi Barrage in Birpur, the discharge stood at 1,63,315 cusecs, against this year’s highest flow of 2,55,425 cusecs recorded on July 20.Twenty-seven teams of the State Disaster Response Force and 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed across various districts for relief and rescue operations.