India battles devastating floods

Thousands are homeless and nearly 200 villages devastated by Indian floods

GAUHATI, India -- Indian is bracing for further flood devastation as at least six rivers in the eastern state of Bihar, including the Ganges, swell above the danger mark after 24 hours of non-stop rain.

Civic authorities in Bihar were using sandbags to shore up embankments against flood water breaches in the Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur districts of the state, Press Trust of India reported Saturday.

Thousands of residents have fled to higher ground as the rivers crested their banks and submerged low-lying shanties and huts.

The army has already been called out to assist rescue operations in the remote northeastern state of Assam where an estimated 700,000 people have been caught in the flooding.

Authorities are now concerned about potential outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and cholera, as hundreds of thousands of people remain holed up in makeshift relief camps in schools and government buildings in Assam.

Food relief

Assam is close to the mountainous border that India shares with Tibet, from where large rivers flow down to the northeastern Indian plains.

Emergency food relief is now being handed out by the district authorities to people displaced by the waters.

"No flood-related deaths have been reported from anywhere in the state yet but the situation is grim. Most rivers flowing down from China's Tibet region are in spate," Nurzamal Sarkar, Assam's flood control minister, told Associated Press on Saturday.

One of the worst affected districts, Dhemaji, close to the Tibetan mountains, remained cut off from the outside world for a fifth day Saturday.

"The swirling waters of the River Jiadhal have submerged the national highway in a three-kilometer (two-mile) stretch, making it risky for vehicles to use," Biswaranjan Samal, Dhemaji district magistrate, told the Associated Press in a telephone interview.

The highway -- the main link to the rest of India -- was under two meters (six feet) of water, he said.

Eight dead in Bangladesh

Meanwhile further downstream in Bangladesh, floods and landslides have taken eight lives and tens of thousands of people are reported marooned in the north and southeastern regions.

At least 40,000 people were trapped in their semi-submerged homes in villages in the Sirajganj district, 105 kilometers (65 miles) northwest of Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, while 500 were evacuated to higher ground as the Jamuna River overflowed.

The meteorological center in Dhaka has recorded nearly 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) of rain in the northern region since Thursday.

Officials say that all the major rivers through the country are flowing well above their danger marks.