NDRF personnel evacuate residents from a flood-hit village in Rohtas. Telegraph picture

Patna, Sept. 13: The flood threat in the catchment areas of river Sone virtually ended today with only 1.55 lakh cusecs of water left in the river against over 8 lakh cusecs that Vansagar dam in Madhya Pradesh had suddenly released between September 10 and 11.

“The situation is getting absolutely normal now with waters spilled in the villages of central Bihar districts, including Rohtas, Aurangabad, Arwal and Bhojpur, receding fast and getting back to the river,” a senior water resources department official said.

Meanwhile, water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary today directed the flood fighting force to work out the schemes to strengthen the flood protection operations in accordance with the guidelines of the Ganga Flood Control Commission and recommend them to the government.

The minister had convened the meeting of nine regional chairmen of the flood fighting force.

The meet focused on the measures to be taken in 2012 to check floods in Kosi and other rivers, particularly in north Bihar, which faces flooding almost every year.