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The situation is expected to worsen for the hundreds of thousands of flood victims in north Bihar, who are living under the open sky, with more rain predicted in the next 48 hours.
The state government has failed to provide tents and polythene to build temporary shelters, non-governmental organisations said on Tuesday.
People are living along highways, river embankments and railway lines with only a lucky few having been able to take refuge in schools and government buildings.
The toll has been pegged at 293 in the current spell of floods.
Major rivers of the state like the Bagmati, the Adhwara group of rivers, the Kosi and its tributaries continued to flow above the danger mark.
According to the relief and rehabilitation department, the floods in 23 districts have so far affected a population of over 15 million.
The department pointed out that the floodwaters have submerged over 7,700 villages. In addition to the loss of human lives, over 800 heads of cattle have also been lost and standing crops valued at over Rs 18 billion, spread over 17.87 lakh hectares, have been damaged.
The department claimed that over 6,200 boats were being used in the flood-hit areas for carrying out relief and rescue work.
It further claimed that 526 relief centres, 450 health centres and 258 animal health centres were functioning in the affected areas.
Six lakh quintals of wheat, 6,000 quintals of readymade food, and over Rs 32 million in cash have been distributed to the victims, it said.
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