Why are Bihar bridges falling like pins? Here are the possible reasons

Bihar has witnessed the collapse of nearly a dozen bridges, raising serious concerns about construction quality and material usage. The incidents, occurring less than a month into the monsoon season, have prompted officials to suggest that the root cause might be linked to unscientific river dredging and desilting.

Falling like Pins: Cause of Collapse

As per some reports, desilting and dredging activities, aimed at preparing for the monsoon, could be reason behind the collapses. The removal of mud and silt around the bridge pillars may have destabilized their foundations. The increased water flow from dredging also impacted the embankments, further weakening the bridges.

Heavy Rainfall and Poor Materials

While some attribute the collapses to heavy rainfall, some reports quoting experts argue that usage of sub-standard materials, failure to follow design protocols, poor quality control, and inadequate supervision could also be the other reasons. A significant water flow from upstream Nepal has also contributed to the factor.

Government's Response

Speaking to reporters, Chaitanya Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary of the Water Resources Department (WRD) said, «Preliminary reports from Siwan and Saran suggest that the Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) for maintenance of the small bridges and desiltation work of the canal were not followed by the government engineers in both districts. The recent desiltation drives conducted in canals in Siwan and Saran by contractors also weakened the foundation of the structures