Let up in Bihar floods, Ganga below red mark after two weeks

The flood situation in Bihar appears to be improving as the Ganga waters receded below danger marks for the first time in the past two weeks but heavy rains led to water-logging on railways tracks in Howrah and Sealdah divisions in West Bengal affecting train services.
Water Resources Department said for the first time in a fortnight, the water level in Ganga is below the danger marks at all seven places where it is monitored in Bihar.
The rivers still flowing above the danger mark include Kamlabalan at Jhanjharpur and Kosi at Baltara in Khagaria.
Samastipur district reported a fresh death taking flood toll in the state to 205.

Meanwhile, widespread rains in the state caused the mercury to dip in Patna and other parts though humidity level remained high. The downpour since the morning resulted in water-logging in many areas of the state capital.
It was a pleasant day in the national capital with the maximum and minimum temperatures settling at normal levels.

"The maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 34 and 25 degrees Celsius respectively, normal for this time of the year," a MeT official said.
Train services in the Eastern and South-Eastern Railway's Howrah and Sealdah divisions continued to remain affected owing to water-logging on tracks following heavy rains.

Heavy downpour since yesterday afternoon disrupted train services of both ER and SER and left many people stranded for hours last night, though the rains abated this morning.
All mail and express trains of South-Eastern Railway (SER) which terminate at and originate from Howrah station, would be short-terminated at Santragachi station and would also depart from Santragachi owing to water-logging on tracks at Tikiapara and Howrah, SER spokesperson Sanjoy Ghosh said.
The weatherman has forecast heavy to very heavy rains in five districts of south Bengal as the low pressure that had formed on Sunday remained almost stationary in south Bangladesh and Gangetic West Bengal.

"Owing to the low pressure, heavy to very heavy rain will occur in the districts of North 24-Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad, Bankura and Birbhum," regional Met director G K Das said.
Meanwhile, Kolkata, which was battered by downpour yesterday and early today, got a respite since morning though the sky remained overcast.
In Punjab and Haryana, the maximum temperature stayed close to normal levels at most places. Chandigarh recorded a maximum of 34 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal.
A MeT department forecast said rain may occur at isolated places in Punjab and Haryana tomorrow.