Floods submerge 50 villages in Bihar

There were no immediate reports of casualties, the official in the state's flood control centre said.

Floods brought life to a halt in two of Bihar's districts bordering Nepal after incessant rains since Thursday caused the Bhuthi Balan, Budhi Gandak and Baghmati rivers to overflow their banks, the official said.

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Rainwater had submerged rail tracks in Samastipur district, 200 kilometres (124 miles) from the state capital Patna, affecting services, a railway spokeswoman said.

The floods had also affected central Samastipur and northern Madhubani districts, where villages were under threat, the official said.

He said heavy rains in mountainous Nepal had caused floods in the state.

More than 150 people drowned or were washed away in floods in Bihar last year that also damaged property worth millions of rupees including standing crops, according to the state's disaster management department.

High-ranking officials of the Nepal-India flood control committee met Tuesday to assess problems being caused by flood-control barrages being built by India.

An Indian official said a proposal was being considered to build a dam in Nepal at the cost of 400 billion rupees (eight billion dollars) on the Kosi river as a permanent solution to the annual floods.