Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday confirmed in the Assembly that 25 people have been killed in the state due to floods following incessant rains in Eastern India and parts of Nepal.

A day after conducting an aerial survey of the areas receiving heavy monsoon rains, the chief minister told the state Assembly that relief and rescue operations were underway. In the last 24 hours, all the major rivers have been flowing above the danger level, leading to embankment breaches.

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“More relief camps would be set up if needed,” he told the legislators during the ongoing Monsoon Session.

The chief minister said that a total of 26 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed in the 12 flood-hit districts.

At least 1,25,000 people have been moved to safer areas.

Nitish Kumar, in his speech in the assembly, said that 199 relief camps have been set up till date, with 644 community kitchens providing food to the displaced people.

Kumar also expressed his concern on 335 rural roads and some small bridges, damaged by the overflowing waters. “The officials have been directed to arrange fodder for cattle along with compensation for the death of cattle and loss of crops”, he further added.

Sitamarhi, Sheohar, East Champaran and Araria districts have experienced most of the damage and fresh floods in three new districts of Saharsa, Katihar and Purnea also have been reported.

According to a Water Resources Department bulletin, five rivers – Baghmati, Kamla Balan, Lalbakeya, Adhwara, Koshi, Gandak, Budhi Gandak, Ganga and Mahananda are flowing above their respective danger levels at various places in the Bihar and neighbouring state Assam, due to incessant rainfall occurring in the catchment areas of the rivers in India as well as in their source regions in Nepal.

Waters originating from the water bodies of Nepal area are expected to slow down since the rains have stopped there by now. India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast has indicated a decrease in the rainfall activity and it is likely to recede further in a couple of days.

A few weeks ago, a severe heatwave had claimed 90 lives officially. The unofficial count of deaths went as far as 250 in Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada and Jamui districts, where the temperature hovered around 45.8 to 43 degrees. Prohibitory orders had also been imposed in the wake of extreme weather conditions under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in few districts.