NEW DELHI: As the government intensified its relief efforts in flood-affected Bihar, the armed forces rushed 80 more divers and 50 boats to join the rescue mission.

While the navy sent 80 more divers from its three Command headquarters in Mumbai, Vishakapatnam and Kochi along with 25 rescue boats, the army chipped in with another 25 boats.

The men and their equipment were flown to Bihar by the Indian Air Force (IAF), government sources said. Already, 37 army columns of about 5,000 men, 13 helicopters of the IAF and army, 599 boats from the navy and army, 783 National Disaster Relief Force personnel, 7,695 tents, 10 satellite phones, 400,000 drinking water bottles, and 10 water purifying plants have been deployed and provided by the government for assisting the Bihar administration in the relief operations.

Meanwhile, Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries department sent 66 wagons-loads of dry fodder on rail from Amritsar and Karnal to Saharsa, which reached the state. Additional 41 wagon-load of fodder is being sent by Haryana to Purnea.

"The requirement of procurement of vaccines is being met through centrally-sponsored Scheme for Assistance to states for Control of Animal Diseases.

The state has been asked to indicate the specific requirements of medicines and vaccines they need, apart from setting up 71 veterinary centers to treat sick livestock," sources said.

Meanwhile, the flood situation in five north eastern districts of Bihar eased further with water receding in several areas as the Army and Navy contingents evacuated over 769,000 people to safer places.

Though reports from worst-hit Madhepura, Supaul and Purnia districts said the water level had gone down at some places by over two-three feet, Water Resource department sources said the discharge in the Kosi from Barahkshetra in Nepal had increased marginally from 111,000 cusecs to a little over 130,000 cusecs.

A population of over 2.57 million is affected by the floods in Supaul, Madhepura, Saharsa, Purnia and Araria districts of which 769,800 marooned people have been evacuated so far, Additional Commissioner of Disaster Management department Pratyay Amrit said.

He said over 278,000 people were taking shelter in 256 relief camps and many more had shifted to other safer places. Official death toll in the 16 flood-ravaged districts so far stood at 69, he said.

Besides the five north eastern districts, a population of over 1.02 million was hit by the floods in Muzaffarpur, Patna, Katihar, Nalanda, West Champaran, Khagaria, Sheikhpura, Saran, Begusarai, Bhagalpur and Vaishali districts.

The Health Ministry is supplying 20 million halogen tablets to purify water as per state government requirement, sources said. Already 3 million tablets have reached the flood-affected areas.

Other medicines and medical stores such as measles vaccine, DPT, oral polio drops, vaccine logistics have been provided, they said.

On the request of the state government, the Centre is sending 100 fogging machines and 50 ambulances to Bihar, sources added.