Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday inspected the flood situation in and around Patna and directed senior officials to take urgent steps to protect the state capital and its 20 lakh population.

“We must ensure that the floodwaters from the Ganga spilling into densely populated areas are contained. Barricading should be done at the ghats where excess water has come,” Nitish told officials during his visit.

Water resources minister Sanjay Kumar Jha accompanied the chief minister.

Nitish also visited Saran and Vaishali districts to inspect the flood situation.

“The water level of the Ganga is increasing and our officials are saying that it is expected to rise further. A similar situation had also occurred in 2016. I have asked them to take into consideration the areas and districts affected then and prepare contingency plans to tackle the situation this time,” Nitish told journalists.

The Ganga is flowing above the danger level throughout its route from Buxar to Katihar in Bihar posing a serious threat to all the districts located along the river, including Patna.

Its level at Gandhi Ghat in Patna has risen to 49.90m, 1.30m above the danger level and just 62cm below the highest flood level observed in 2016.

The Ganga is spilling over its banks in Patna forcing water resources department officials to place sandbags and block the drains and channels flowing into the river. They are planning to seal the openings in the Patna Town Protection (PTP) wall built in the aftermath of the devastating 1975 floods to protect the city.

“Our main concern is the continuously rising level of the Ganga and the priority is to save the state capital from getting flooded. We have blocked all the drains and channels emptying into the river to stop the backflow of water. The water from the city side is being pumped out with the help of motors. We are also putting sandbags in the places where the Ganga is flowing at its brim,” a senior engineer of the water resources department told The Telegraph.

At present several panchayats and blocks in Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna Bhagalpur, Munger and Khagaria districts are facing the deluge. Several localities in Patna have also been flooded.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast widespread rains across the state till August 15. Though the current high level of the Ganga is due to heavy rainfall in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, the spells of rain in Bihar could further worsen the flood situation.