The flood situation remained grim in several districts of Bihar on Thursday, with the water level of rivers still flowing above the danger mark at most places, officials said.

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Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inspected the water level of the Ganga at Patna's Gandhi Ghat, where it has receded from the danger mark, they said.

“The water level of most rivers in the state, including Kosi, Gandak, Bagmati, Mahananda and Ganga is still above the danger mark at various places. The Water Resources Department (WRD) is on alert and flood protection work is being carried out as required,” an official notification said.

According to the state's disaster management department, food packets and other relief materials are being air-dropped by IAF helicopters in 17 flood-affected districts, including East and West Champaran, Araria, Kishanganj, Gopalganj, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Supaul, Madhepura, Muzaffarpur, Purnea, Madhubani, Darbhanga and Saran.

Altogether, 33 teams of the NDRF and SDRF have been pressed into service for relief and rescue operations, while around 975 boats are also plying in the affected areas, it said.

The chief minister visited the Gandhi Ghat after virtually laying the foundation stone for the construction of 'Centres of Excellence' at 87 Industrial Training Institutes of the state government, the officials said.

He also inaugurated the Krishna Ghat link and the Gaighat up ramp link of JP Ganga Path here to facilitate smooth movement of vehicular traffic, they added.