India Ganges floods 'break previous records'

By Navin Singh Khadka

The monsoon floods in India's Ganges river this year have broken previous records, officials have told the BBC. They said water levels reached unprecedented levels at four locations in northern India. The highest record was in Patna, the state capital of Bihar where flood waters reached 50.52m (166ft) on 26 August, up from 50.27m in 1994. Floods across India this year have killed more than 150 people and displaced thousands.

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Some experts have blamed the silt the river carries for the floods. The Ganges is one of the highest sediment load carrying rivers.The silt deposition is said to have raised the river's bed-level causing it to break embankments and flood the adjoining human settlements and farmlands.