Patna, Aug 19 (IANS): Five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in five flood-hit districts of Bihar for rescue and relief operations, officials said Friday.

The teams have been placed in Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura, Khagaria and Gopalganj districts.

The move came in the wake of major rivers like Ganges, Kosi and Mahananda flowing above the danger mark at several places due to heavy rains in the state and catchment areas of Nepal for the last few days, an official said.

Hundreds of villages in Bhagalpur, Munger, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, Saharsa, Madhepura and Bagaha districts face threats due to the increased water levels.

"Water has already entered dozens of villages. Rising water level in Kosi river is giving sleepless nights to people," an official of the water resources department told IANS.

He said the water levels of rivers have been rising to dangerous levels at several places. "It is a dangerous sign." Reports suggests that hundreds of people have been asked to shift to safer areas by the authorities.

The state government has asked engineers and district officials to keep a 24-hour vigil.

According to the Central Water Commission, the water level in Ganges crossed the red mark at several places in Bhagalpur, Patna, Begusarai and Farakka. Similarly, the Kosi was flowing above the danger mark at Bausa, Baltara and Kursela, and Mahananda at Dhengraghat and Jhada.