Built To Not Last – on Bihar bridge collapse

Source: This summary is based on the article “ Built To Not Last “, published in The Times of India on 6th June 2023.

Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 – Disaster Management, Infrastructure

News: Recently, a 200m stretch of a 3km-long bridge over the Ganga in Bihar collapsed, leading to many deaths.

This is the 2^nd such incident after the Morbi bridge collapse in Gujarat.

Furthermore, there have been infrastructure related incidents like roads caving in, bridges collapsing, and expressway stretches being washed away across India.

What were the reasons behind Bihar bridge collapse?

The prevalent state-private contractor-builder nexus is identified as a leading cause.

High-value infrastructure projects often being rushed through without proper structural inspections, quality audits, or safety monitoring. It is to achieve the political success. It results into flawed design and poor construction quality.

No one takes accountability for these repeated failures.

In case of Bihar bridge collapse, 2 issues were highlighted:

1. First, parts of the bridge had already collapsed last year due to wind and rain. IIT-Roorkee experts had noted serious structural defects. However, construction was continued.
2. Second, an attempt was made to downplay the incident by claiming that authorities had demolished the bridge.

What are the effects?

First, human fatalities and injuries.

Second, severe environmental pollution. Debris from substandard construction materials, dust, and ash contaminate rivers and country sides, causing damage to aquatic and other ecosystems.