Rising rivers threaten more misery in India

PATNA, India (Reuters) - Rising rivers in eastern India swamped new areas and destroyed homes on Tuesday affecting more than two million people, as frustrated villagers beat up officials and others remained glued to weather radio bulletins.

The Koshi river in the eastern state of Bihar has broken its mud embankments in several regions, swamped farmlands and destroyed homes in one of India's poorest regions.

The river broke a dam in neighbouring Nepal, worsening the floods caused by heavy monsoon rain, Bihar officials said.

Rains have killed more than 1,000 people in South Asia since the monsoon rains began in June, mainly in India's states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh but also in Nepal and Bangladesh.

In Bihar, thousands have taken refuge on embankments and on roads and mounds in the state.

Locals in the state call the Koshi the "sorrow of Bihar" for its regular floods and its ability to quickly change course.

"The Koshi river has changed its course and nearly 20-25 lakh (two and half million) people of the areas have been affected," Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of the state said after aerial survey of the flood situation.

Some experts blame the floods on heavier monsoon rains caused by global warming.

Last year, floods in eastern India and Bangladesh killed around 2,000 people. Millions of people were affected by floods and officials fear that similar disasters would become more frequent amid global climate change.