NHAI to use Bihar river silt for highway construction
A new initiative aims to reduce flooding in Bihar by using excavated silt for national highway projects.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Bihar government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday, November 3, for the scientific desilting of water bodies. According to The Indian Express, the initiative will use suitable excavated silt for national highway projects.
The programme, titled “Nadi Sanjivani, Nadi Punarjeevan, Sadak Navnirman”, aims to address heavy silt accumulation in rivers such as the Ganga, Kosi, Gandak, Falgu and Bagmati. This accumulation causes annual flooding and complicates water management in the state.
Under the MoU, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) will lead dredging operations using scientific methods. Officials stated that 393 lakh cubic metres of free silt will be used for ongoing highway projects in Bihar, with plans to use approximately 1,050 lakh cubic metres in future projects.
An NHAI official told The Indian Express that the excavated silt will be repurposed as a primary material for the expanding national highway network. The official added that the free silt will help lower construction costs and that scientific desilting will improve the water-carrying capacity of rivers to reduce seasonal flood risks.
The NHAI is currently executing 39 projects spanning 1,561 km in Bihar at Rs 58,340 crore. It has also proposed 11 new projects covering 1,982 km with an estimated outlay of Rs 1,85,200 crore.
The initiative follows the 'Buldhana Pattern' used in Maharashtra. Under the new MoU, dredging will take place in rivers including the Ganga, Gandak, Falgu, Kosi, Son, and Ghagra.