The Bihar government on Thursday sought army to tackle the flood situation in the state.
"The chief secretary has been asked to contact the army cantonment in Danapur," sources in Chief Minister Rabri Devi's office said.
Meanwhile, the Ganga, which is in spate all along its course in the state, continued to pose a major threat to state capital Patna.
Several low-lying localities in the capital, including Pataliputra colony and Digha, were facing water logging due to backflow of drain waters.
Relief department sources said 142 people had lost their lives in 19 flood-hit districts, where over 42 lakh were reeling under the impact of the floods.
Sources in the water resources department said the sudden rise in the water level of the Ganga was caused by the release of 5.7 lakh cusecs of water from the Sone River on Wednesday.
The Ganga was flowing 1.31 metre above the danger mark at Kahalgaon, nine cm in Bhagalpur and three cm in Buxar.
The Sone was above the red level by 2.3 metres at Koilwar and 1.12 metre at Maner.
Other important rivers like Kosi, Ghaghra and Burhi Gandak were also flowing above the danger level at several places, Central Water Commission sources said.
