The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is finding the current Bihar floods more challenging than the Kashmir floods of 2014 and Chennai floods of 2015 and is battling hard to reach relief measures to residents.

The force has so far pitched in 21 teams of 900 personnel, operating from Buxar to Katihar along the Ganga, rescued over 18,000 marooned people and distributed relief material. "We find the Bihar floods more challenging than Kashmir or Chennai floods because of the sheer expanse of flooded area, volume of water and the swift river current," NDRF deputy inspector general S.S. Guleria said. "The floods in Kashmir or Chennai, too, were disastrous, but those were mostly confined to urban areas and the water receded in a few days. In Bihar it is just the opposite."

The vast expanse of water has distorted landmarks and made it difficult for rescue teams to reach villages that are calling out for help or places under immediate threat of getting washed away.

"It is like a desert, when it comes to finding our way," NDRF commandant Vijay Sinha said. "Even the local guides accompanying us on rescue missions are confused. This is because earlier they travelled by road or marked paths. But now they cannot see anything, as everything is under water."

Vijay said the current was so strong that controlling their inflatable, rubberised motorboats and negotiating the river was a tough task, irrespective of whether they were moving upstream or downstream.

The forces also face obstacles operating in rural areas as the marooned people want their cattle, too, to be evacuated and NDRF boats are too small for bovines to be loaded safely. "People expect our personnel to save their cattle too, but our boats are not equipped for it," an NDRF official told The Telegraph on the condition of anonymity. "At times they refuse to come with us if they have to leave their cattle behind. We have taken a few bigger boats from the Bihar government, but their shape is unsuitable for rescuing cattle."

The force's quick reaction teams are also helping evacuate snakebite victims, rushing them to hospital. Six snakebite victims were rescued in Bakhtiyarpur, Patna district on Thursday. State government officials clarified that, so far, there had not been any snakebite deaths during this flood.

The force has so far evacuated six pregnant women, of which one - Roshni Devi of Birpur village in Vaishali district's Raghopur diara - gave birth to a boy while being taken to hospital. She was helped by NDRF's paramedics and two women from her village who accompanied her on the boat. Roshni and her newborn were later admitted to Mahnar primary health centre in Vaishali district.