Bihar river desilting to provide silt for highway projects
The Nadi Sanjivani initiative aims to use excavated silt for at least 43 National Highway projects in Bihar.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bihar government on Tuesday to scientifically desilt rivers and water bodies. According to The New Indian Express, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will carry out this work at no cost under the ‘Nadi Sanjivani’ initiative.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary attended the signing ceremony in New Delhi. The project intends to restore the water-carrying capacity of rivers, manage floods, and provide sustainable construction material for roads.
The initiative will provide silt for 43 National Highway (NH) projects in the state. This includes 16 ongoing works and 27 future projects. Officials stated that 400 lakh cubic metres of suitable silt will be used in current projects, while an estimated 1,050 lakh cubic metres is proposed for future works, subject to technical approvals.
Currently, 39 NHAI projects covering approximately 1,561 km are under construction in Bihar with an estimated investment of Rs 58,340 crore. Additionally, 11 projects covering around 1,982 km involving an estimated Rs 1.85 lakh crore are proposed.
Minister Gadkari said the model could be extended to other states. He noted that accumulated silt reduces river capacity and contributes to floods. He added that the plan connects river restoration with infrastructure growth and reduces the need for fresh earth or agricultural soil.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said some rivers in Bihar have between 10 to 10 metres of accumulated silt. Gadkari added that recovered stones could be used for gabion walls to channelise river flow.