BETTIAH, Sept. 6 -- Over 50 families were rendered homeless after the swollen Gandak river uprooted their houses in two villages of Madhubani block in West Champaran district over the past few days, officials said. Nandlal Ram, circle officer (CO) of Madhubani in Bagaha sub-division, said villagers of Narhwa and Ghorahwa under Sisahi panchayat were the worst affected. "Our ground-level assessment shows 52 huts were washed away by the river's current. Besides, nearly 200 acres of sugarcane crop has also been damaged," the CO said. HT spoke to several displaced families who narrated tales of distress. Twenty-seven-year-old Dhananjay Yadav of Narhwa, who recently got married, said he and his wife Anika Kumari have been staying at a relative's house for the past week. "The collapse of our house was imminent as the Gandak kept eroding its bank. We quickly shifted our belongings to a safer place," he said. Others like Gajendar Yadav, Jhagaru Ram and Ramashish Yadav too had a premonition of disaster. "We used a tractor-trolley to move our belongings before the huts collapsed," recalled Ramashish Yadav. Krishna Yadav, headman of Sisahi panchayat, said the situation remains grim. "The villagers of Narhwa and Ghorahwa are struggling after losing their homes. We want the riverbank fortified to prevent further erosion, otherwise more families will be displaced," he said....