Patna: Ten more people died since August 4 in the floods in Bihar to take the toll up to 129, as the overall situation remains grim with major rivers continuing to swell threatening breach of embankments at various places.

While five persons drowned in two separate boat capsizes in Samastipur district, three persons died in Madhubani and two others in Gopalganj, official reports from the districts said on August 4.

Four persons drowned in the Kareh river when the boat in which they were travelling capsized near Balha-Dagruga village of the Samastipur district and another person met his watery grave when the country boat turned turtle at Puranibirha village in the same district on August 3.

A Madhubani report, quoting officials said that three people, including two women, died at a place under Laukahi police station of the district on August 3 night. Two others died in flood-related incidents in Gopalganj district taking the overall death toll to 129.

A central water commission bulletin on August 4 said major rivers like Ganga, Gandak, Bagmati, Burhi Gandak, Adhwara group of rivers, Mahananda continued to flow above the danger mark posing threat to the embankments and inundating fresh areas.

The bulletin said that the catchments areas of all the major rivers emanating from Nepal would witness rainfall on August 6.

The Bihar Chief Secretary, S N Biswas, and Home Commissioner U N Panjiar, along with other senior officials held a meeting with the Chief Minister, Rabri Devi, on August 4 to chalk out strategies to transport relief materials to the 19 flood-affected districts in view of the indefinite transporters' strike since July 31 mid- night.

The Chief Secretary said that the government would work overtime to maintain the supply of flood relief materials despite the transporters' ''Chakka Jam'' protest.

The Bihar government has cancelled the leave of doctors posted in the flood-affected districts and issued an order to join their duties immediately failing which stern action would be initiated against them.

Relief and rehabilitation department sources on August 4 said that a population of over one crore, spread over 5,957 villages in an area of 23.95 lakh hectares of 19 North Bihar districts, were affected by the floods.

Standing crop in an area of 7.13 lakh hectares worth over Rs 74 crore were destroyed in the current spell of floods.

The Army and Air Force choppers were distributing relief materials, including food packets, medicines and polythene sheets, to the marooned people on war footing, the sources in relief department said.

PTI