Bihar govt alerts officials as rivers’ water levels rise

The Bihar government on Thursday directed officials to remain alert as water levels of several rivers in the state were rising.
The situation was grim in north Bihar as a number of rivers, including the Sone, Gandak, Punpun, Bagmati and Ganga, were either flowing above their danger levels or were nearing the danger mark, officials said.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday inspected the situation near JP Setu in Patna where the water level of Ganga was rising. He asked the district administration to remain in a state of preparedness to tackle the situation if the water level crossed the danger mark.
The CM also travelled along Atal Path and JP Ganga Path to take stock of the situation up to Gandhi Ghat.
The water level of Ganga at Gandhi Ghat on Thursday reached 48.54 metres, which was .06 cm below the danger level. Ganga was flowing just below the danger mark at Hathidah, Munger, Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon, officials said. The Patna Meteorological Centre predicted light to moderate rain in most parts of the state over the next two days.