Incessant rain since Sunday night crippled life in south Bihar districts, including Gaya and Jehanabad. People, however, may get relief from rain for the next three to four days.

India Meteorological Department (IMD), Patna, director A.K. Sen said over phone on Monday: "The low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal is headed towards Chhattisgarh after touching Bengal, Jharkhand and south Bihar areas. For the next three-four days, there will be no rain in south Bihar."

The Gaya Met office recorded 95.3mm rainfall in Gaya and adjoining areas since 5.30pm on Sunday till 5.30pm on Monday.

Gaya's road link with Nawada, Rajgir, Nalanda and Biharsharif was snapped after a diversion made near the bridge on Paimar river on NH-82 was swept away. The water level rose in the river following heavy rain since Sunday night. There is only a single-lane British-era bridge on the river near Wazirganj on NH-82.

The bridge is in a dilapidated condition and the plying of heavy vehicles has been banned on it. Work on the Biharsharif-Gaya highway is in progress. Till then, a diversion has been made near the bridge that was swept away.

In another incident, a three-storeyed old house of Ashok Kumar Sinha in Nawagarhi under Civil Lines police station collapsed owing to heavy rain. Around nine members of the family in three rooms escaped unhurt. Sinha said: "I would demand a compensation of Rs 1 lakh from the disaster management department."

Rajni Kumari, the councillor of ward number 39 under Gaya Municipal Corporation, has written to the disaster management department for adequate compensation to the family. In Jehanabad, a woman drowned near the diversion at Jehangirpur. The body was not found till Monday evening. On Sunday, four girls aged below 10 had drowned in 20ft-deep water of Tarakol dam near Kauakol in Nawada district, when they went to have a bath.

The water level in Niranjana, Muhane, Falgu and Dardha rivers flowing through Gaya and Jehanabad also rose.