Road ministry and Bihar sign MoU to use river silt for highways
The initiative aims to restore river water-carrying capacity and reduce flood risks while providing construction material for highway projects.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Bihar government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday to undertake scientific desilting of rivers and water bodies. According to reports from The Economic Times and The Indian Express, the excavated silt will be used for National Highway construction projects in the state.
The initiative, envisioned as ‘Nadi Sanjivani’, seeks to restore the water-carrying capacity of rivers to strengthen flood management and conserve agricultural land. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that accumulated silt has affected river capacity, contributing to floods and damage to property. He noted that Bihar faces recurring challenges of flooding and water scarcity, particularly from rivers originating in Nepal.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is currently executing 39 projects in Bihar covering 1,561 km with an estimated investment of Rs 58,340 crore. Another 11 projects covering 1,982 km with an estimated investment of Rs 1,85,200 crore are proposed. The plan involves using 243 lakh cubic metres of silt in ongoing projects and 835 lakh cubic metres for 27 future projects, according to The Economic Times.
The Bihar government has also launched the Bihar Water Resources Restoration and Silt Management Policy 2026 to address silt accumulation and reduce flood risks. The state's Road Construction Department (RCD) will serve as the nodal agency for the MoU, which was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Nitin Gadkari.
The agreement includes safeguards to prevent desilting from damaging riverbanks, bridges, or the ecological balance. Extraction will only be allowed at approved locations and within technical limits, with regular monitoring and digital record-keeping to ensure transparency.