On June 16, 2020, amid the raging pandemic, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the Sattarghat bridge over the turbulent Gandak River via videoconferencing from his &ldquo;Samvad Hall&rdquo; in Patna.
The bridge, connecting Kesaria in East Champaran to Faizalpur in Gopalganj, had been eight years in the making, with its foundation stone laid by Kumar in 2012. On that June day, Kumar expressed his frustration, stating he would have preferred to inspect the quality of work personally before the formal inauguration.
His concerns were justified; just twenty-nine days later, a section of the brand-new bridge, including an approach road, collapsed into the water.
In the aftermath, an embarrassed Bihar government commissioned an inquiry by a high-level team of experts led by Ramakar Jha, head of the civil engineering department at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Patna.
The panel attributed the collapse to the changing course of the Gandak River, which enters Bihar from Nepal. In June 2021, it recommended demolishing an 810-meter section of the approach road to create additional pathways for the water.
However, little action was taken, and subsequent monsoon seasons have brought widespread flooding to both Gopalganj and Saran.
Since June 2020, Bihar has witnessed significant changes. A pandemic has swept through, leaving a tragic toll in its wake. Political alliances have shifted&mdash;Nitish Kumar moved from the NDA to the Mahagatbandhan, then back to the NDA.
Amidst these changes, two things remain constant: Nitish Kumar's enduring tenure as chief minister despite turbulent political waters, and Bihar's rivers persistently changing course while bridges crumble due to poor maintenance, absence of planning, and mismanagement.
Consider the events of the past three weeks, during which 12 bridges of various sizes collapsed. Among these, four collapses occurred recently across the Gandaki rivulet in Siwan, a tributary of the Gandak River.
Fortunately, no casualties were reported, but engineers from the Water Resources Department (WRD) attributed these incidents to an unexpectedly large surge in water flow.
According to an initial inquiry report submitted to the Siwan district magistrate on June 24, rapid currents caused erosion around the bridge pillars, displacing them from their original positions. This surge was linked to increased water flow from Nepal, fueled by heavy rains in June.
However, the increase in river water levels should hardly come as a surprise, as it occurs annually across various regions of Bihar.
In Araria, located 390 km from Siwan, another incident occurred on June 18 involving severe damage to a 282-meter-long RCC bridge on the Bakra River in Sikta block.
Built by RWD at a cost of ₹12 crore, three to four spans of the structure collapsed into the river. Engineers who examined the bridge attributed the damage to the shifting course of the river.
Exactly two years earlier, on June 18, 2022, two pillars supporting a four-lane bridge between Bihpur and Funaut villages in Naugachhiya were swept away as the Kosi River shifted its course southward. 
River basin expert Dinesh Kumar Mishra noted, "The bridge was part of a 30km road linking Bihpur in Bhagalpur to Birpur in Supaul. The construction company reportedly incurred losses exceeding ₹200 crore. However, such risks are inherent for contractors dealing with volatile rivers like the Kosi.&rdquo;
Mishra explained that the Kosi River's powerful currents during the monsoon compel both the river and its tributaries to alter their paths. "The Kosi descends rapidly into 
Bihar carrying a heavy load of silt. Even a small stream branching off from the main river course by two to three kilometers can become a significant waterway, impacting structures in its vicinity," Mishra commented.
However, Professor Ramakar Jha, the NIT professor who inspected the Sattarghat bridge, countered that blaming river course changes was inadequate justification for bridge failures.
"Construction companies and executing agencies should not rely on such excuses. Instead, thorough feasibility studies should be conducted to understand the river's hydrology," Jha asserted. "For projects costing between ₹200 and ₹300 crore, these feasibility exercises would only cost around ₹1 crore."
Experts highlighted that government officials and engineers in Bihar predominantly rely on the Lacey method, developed in the 1930s by Gerald Lacey for regime channels, which assumes constant silt grade and discharge. This method provides equations to calculate velocity, hydraulic mean depth, and bed slope.
"However," noted Ramakar Jha, "the Lacey method is primarily intended for canal evaluation. In Bihar, engineers often apply it to assess river hydrology, which subsequently influences bridge design.
This approach contributes to vulnerabilities where piers and foundations suffer damage during periods of unexpectedly high currents."
Mishra emphasized the urgent need for comprehensive hydrological analyses of all Bihar rivers, especially those originating from the Himalayas. "Never before have we witnessed so many bridge collapses within such a short period.
There are evident flaws in both bridge design and river behavior exacerbated by climate change," Mishra stated. "Bridge structures typically weaken when rapid currents erode soil around pier foundations and destabilize deck slabs. It's imperative that concerned departments conduct safety audits before each monsoon season."
Senior government officials also highlighted the detrimental impact of widespread sand mining, which reduces river carrying capacities, facilitates shifts in river paths, and weakens infrastructure.
Sunil Kumar, Vice President of the Indian Engineers' Federation and Executive Engineer of the Bihar Police Building Corporation, pointed out, "Regulations stipulate no sand mining within 500 meters of bridges, but enforcement is lax, posing significant risks to bridge foundations.
" He cited the recent reinforcement work by Indian Railways on the 160-year-old Abdul Bari bridge over the Sone River, which had weakened due to unchecked sand mining.
Officials also highlighted other man-made crises, specifically the expedited approval of projects deemed crucial by the state government. For instance, Patna's Marine Drive, known as the Jaya Prakash Ganga Pathway, a 21.5km stretch along the southern banks of the Ganga, costing ₹3,106 crore and approved in 2007, was cited as an example.
One executive engineer from the water resources department, speaking on condition of anonymity, described it as a project that "disturbs natural flow." "Despite objections from environmentalists who warned of potential river course changes away from Patna, the project proceeded," he noted. "Now, the consequences are evident with flooding affecting the plains of Hajipur and Muzaffarpur."
Pankaj Malviya, involved in a volunteer campaign expressing concerns about the Ganga Pathway project, highlighted its impact: "The pathway is causing the Ganga to deposit silt along the Patna riverbank. The obstruction in the flow is flattening the riverbed."
Initially intended to alleviate Patna's notorious east-west traffic congestion, the construction of the bridge commenced in 2013 but was only opened for traffic in June 2022.
"The road design, incorporating both at-grade and elevated sections, had to be altered due to the Ganga's flow pattern," explained the WRD engineer quoted earlier.&nbsp;
"Critical box canals, essential for maintaining unhindered water flow, have yet to be constructed, leading to unauthorized encroachments along the riverbank."
Even more critically, Bihar has established norms for maintaining public infrastructure like roads but lacks a similar policy for bridge maintenance. Officials acknowledge that discussions around formulating a "bridge maintenance policy" often arise after a bridge collapse but are typically short-lived.
"Moreover, the department allocates minimal time and funds towards bridge maintenance," lamented the executive engineer. "Following the collapse of twelve bridges, the chief secretary recently convened a review meeting and directed officials to draft a bridge maintenance policy for approval in the upcoming monsoon session of the state legislature.
However, similar promises have been made since 2018."
The series of bridge collapses has sparked political outcry in Bihar, with Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav characterizing the frequent incidents as indicative of a faltering "double engine government.
" This phrase refers to the coalition of JD(U) and BJP governing both the state and the Centre. "Barely a week goes by without headlines dominated by reports of bridge collapses," Yadav remarked.
The government has responded decisively to the recent bridge collapses, with Rural Works Department Minister Ashok Chaudhary ordering the suspension of three engineers responsible for the collapsed bridge over the Bakra river.
Former JD(U) minister and MLC Neeraj Kumar suggested a deliberate pattern behind these incidents, promising no leniency for those responsible. He confirmed that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is closely overseeing the situation, conducting reviews of both the road construction and rural works departments to prevent future collapses.
On July 3, Nitish Kumar instructed these departments to conduct a comprehensive survey of all old bridges in Bihar to identify those needing immediate repairs.
This directive follows a PIL filed in the Supreme Court on June 29, which expressed concerns about the safety of Bihar's bridges, especially during floods and monsoons.
The petitioner, advocate Brajesh Singh, urged the court to establish real-time bridge monitoring, emphasizing the urgent need to prevent further disasters that endanger lives.
Bihar remains on alert, awaiting both intervention and news, as concerns persist over the possibility of future bridge collapses.

"Submerged Infrastructure: The Downfall of Bihar's Bridges”

છેલ્લા ત્રણ સપ્તાહમાં બિહારમાં વિવિધ કદના 12 પુલ ધરાશાયી થયા છે.

"ડૂબી ગયેલી ઇન્ફ્રાસ્ટ્રક્ચર: બિહારના પુલોનું પતન"

पिछले तीन सप्ताह में बिहार में विभिन्न आकार के 12 पुल ढह गये हैं।

"जलमग्न बुनियादी ढांचा: बिहार के पुलों का पतन"

In the past three weeks, 12 bridges of various sizes have collapsed in Bihar.

"Submerged Infrastructure: The Downfall of Bihar's Bridges”

In the past three weeks, 12 bridges of various sizes have collapsed in Bihar.

July 11, 2024 | 16:22 IST