Bihar and MoRTH sign pact to use river silt for highways
The agreement aims to manage floods and provide construction material for National Highway projects in Bihar.
The Government of Bihar and the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi on Monday to desilt the state's rivers. Under the agreement, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will dredge water bodies and use the recovered sand, silt, and sediment for National Highway projects.
According to reports from Hindustan Times and ThePrint, the initiative seeks to restore the water-carrying capacity of rivers to manage floods while providing construction material. The NHAI has identified a requirement for approximately 243 lakh cubic metres of silt for ongoing and proposed highway projects in the state.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary were present at the signing. Gadkari stated that the NHAI would perform the dredging at no cost to the Bihar government and that no royalty would be charged for the silt provided for road construction.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary noted that heavy siltation in the Ganga and its tributaries, such as the Kosi, Gandak, and Bagmati, contributes to severe annual flooding. He said that even with a 32 per cent rain deficit this year, the highest flood levels in three major rivers reached record heights, indicating heavy sedimentation.
The project will follow the Bihar Water Resources Restoration and Sediment Management Policy (2026). The Road Construction Department (RCD) will serve as the nodal agency, with a state-level coordination committee to oversee implementation and ensure ecological safeguards are maintained during the desilting process.