Sita Devi (27), a homemaker from Phulkia area of Ghogha town in Bhagalpur district ,doesn't know what to do with their cattle after her 31-year-old husband Ashok Mandal died in an accident on Tuesday.

Ashok had left his marooned village by train to get collect fodder for their cattle from Pirpainty. On his way back on the roof of a train, he collided against the lower portion of a foot over bridge at Kahalgon railway station, received serious head injuries and later died.

Ever since road communication lines snapped after floodwater inundated their areas - blocking traffic on NH-80 from Lakhisarai to Sahebganj - many have been travelling on train rooftops with fodder from distant places. And the spate of accidents too has increased.

"Such accidents are rising because people are travelling unsafely in overcrowded trains," said a senior government railway police (GRP) official here. "We are trying to stop such people, but this is the only available mode of travel for flood-affected people."

Traffic on NH-80 - from Bariarpur in Munger to Pirpainty in Bhagalpur - has completely stopped after floodwater inundated the highway at many places, damaging it. With the lifeline of the region NH-80 defunct, trains are the only option for many.

Dilip Mishra, spokesperson of the BJP's district unit, urged the railways to provide flood special trains from Kiul to Sahibganj stations on this section. "During the last floods in 2013, the railways had introduced special trains on this section," Dilip said. "Since the flood is more intense, the railways should immediately start plying such trains here," he urged.

Divisional railway manager (DRM), Malda, Mohit Sinha under whose jurisdiction the areas fall was not available for comment since he remained busy with the visit of chief security commissioner, eastern railways, for commissioning of the Mandar hill-Hansdiha-Dumka new line. On Tuesday, he refused any such proposal of running a flood special train immediately but he options were open.

The rising Ganga approaching the railway tracks of Kiul-Sahebganj section have started posing a threat at many points. According to Central Water Commission sources, the river was flowing at 32.70cm on Wednesday afternoon at Kahalgaon while during last floods in 2013, the level was 32.4cm. According to CWC employee Lakshman Mandal, the highest flood level at Kahalgaon is 31.09cm. A source from CWC said the Ganga would witness an increase in level as discharged water in its upstream is expected to reach Bhagalpur by evening.

Hemant Kumar, assistant engineer, railways, Jamlapur, said railways has started flood-fighting work on a war footing particularly at Ratanpur-Gangania, Bariarpur-Akbarnagar, Sabour-Ghogha and others on the Kiul-Sahebganj section.