Why Bihar’s bridges are falling apart? Insights from recent collapses

NEW DELHI: Bihar reported yet another bridge collapse, marking the tenth such incident in just over two weeks, according to an official.
The most recent collapse occurred in Saran, which had already seen two more bridge failures within the past 24 hours, said district magistrate aman samir.
Bihar also saw the collapse of three additional bridges on Wednesday bringing the total number of such incidents in the rain-battered state to ten over the last 15 days.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar instructed the Road Construction Department (RCD) and Rural Works Department (RWD) to promptly survey all the state's old bridges and identify those needing urgent repairs.
Ten bridges have collapsed across districts like Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran and Kishanganj in the last 15 days.

Why are bridge collapses becoming a trend in Bihar?
Chaitanya Prasad, additional chief secretary of the WRD, said that some sections of the bridges and causeways that collapsed in Siwan and Saran on Wednesday are quite old.
"These structures appear not to have been built according to the necessary standards. Additionally, the foundations seem to have been insufficiently deep, which likely contributed to the damage during the floods," he added.
"One of the bridges that collapsed in the Janta Bazar area was 100 years old. Another bridge that gave way in the Lahladpur area was constructed 25 years ago. A high-level investigation has been initiated," district magistrate Aman Samir.
Both bridges that fell in Siwan district on Wednesday were located on the Gandaki rivulet in Maharajganj block. One was built in 1982-83, while the other was constructed in 1998.
Residents suggested that the heavy rainfall over the past few days may have played a role in the collapse of these small bridges.

The politics
Senior RJD leader,Tejashwi Yadav, expressed concern on social media, commenting, "Four bridges collapsing in Bihar in one day! The chief minister and both deputy chief ministers have remained silent on this issue."

He criticized the NDA government, demanding accountability: "The NDA should clarify who is responsible for these incidents," Yadav asserted.
Yadav also remarked, "It seems that under BJP's governance, issues like corruption and crime are being ignored."
Engineer's take
The first major bridge collapse of the year occurred on March 24 involving the country's longest under-construction bridge spanning 10km over the Kosi river.
Valued at Rs 1,700 crore and part of the central government's Bharatmala project, the bridge is situated between Bheja and Bakaur in Madhubani and Supaul districts.

Following the incident, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) promptly dispatched a three-member team to assess the situation and recommend necessary actions.
Jai Kishore Dutt, a retired chief engineer from the road construction department, proposed that instead of the usual responses like ordering inquiries or suspending lower-level engineers, there should be a third-party investigation to neutrally evaluate the root causes.
Dutt emphasized examining four critical aspects: adherence to approved designs during implementation, quality control of construction, use of project-specific materials in correct proportions and sizes and consistent on-site supervision.
Speaking anonymously, a contractor disclosed that these changes have adversely affected small executing agencies involved in low-value bridge projects in the state.
According to the contractor, junior engineers responsible for supervision and representatives of the executing agencies often collaborate improperly, leading to the use of inferior materials and violations in the prescribed ratios of cement, sand, steel rods and concrete chips.
This compromises material quality and measurements to maximize profits, with some gains allegedly distributed as commissions from the ground up.
Petition in SC
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court requesting the Bihar government to conduct comprehensive structural audits of all existing and under-construction bridges in the state.
Advocate Brajesh Singh, urged the court to direct Bihar to either demolish or reinforce weak structures based on feasibility, following recent bridge collapses.
Singh stressed the urgency of the matter, noting that Bihar has witnessed multiple incidents of bridge collapses, including three major under-construction bridges, within the past two years.
Bridge disasters in other states
On August 23, 2023, an under-construction railway bridge collapsed in northeastern India's Mizoram state. The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. local time in Sairang, a town approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Aizawl, the state capital, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least 26 laborers at the site.

On March 31, 2016, a 150-meter (490-foot) steel span of the under-construction Vivekananda Road flyover in Kolkata's Girish Park neighborhood collapsed. The tragic incident resulted in the deaths of 27 individuals and left 80 others injured.
(With inputs from agencies)