Patna: Just when Bihar thought it had escaped the flood nightmare this year, the Ganga has swollen and is flowing above the danger level at various places from Patna to Katihar, inundating low-lying areas and displacing people.

This has also increased the flood threat in various parts of the state as most of the rivers are tributaries of the Ganga and are not able to properly discharge excess water if the Ganga flows above the danger level.

Water resources department officials said the Ganga was flowing 29cm above the danger level at Gandhi Ghat in the state capital and 10cm above the danger mark at Hathidah in Patna district.

People settled in Bind Toli and other areas along the Ganga in Patna have started shifting to higher and dryer places with their belongings, including cattle.

However, no flood relief camps have yet been set up.

Downstream, the Ganga was flowing above the danger level at various places in Bhagalpur, including Sultanganj where it was flowing 1.5m above the danger level.

The river was 24cm above the danger mark at Kadhagola Ghat in Katihar district, which is close to the place where the river enters Bengal.

The Bagmati, Budi Gandak, Ghaghra and Kosi rivers have also crossed the danger level at various places in Sitamarhi, Khagaria, Siwan and Katihar, renewing the flood threat in north Bihar.

"The Ganga is on a rising trend because of heavy rains in Uttar Pradesh," Avinash Kumar, officer on special duty (OSD), disaster management department said on Tuesday.

"It is already flowing above the danger level at Gandhi Ghat in Patna and other places. Let us see what happens tomorrow."

Though river water could have spread in the low-lying areas no district has been declared flood-affected yet, he added.

Which way the situation turns will also depend on the amount of rainfall over Bihar and Nepal. Weather scientists have already announced chances of moderate to heavy rains at various places.