Falling like ninepins: Two bridges collapse in Bihar’s Siwan amid rain, seventh incident in 15 days

Bridges are collapsing like ninepins in Bihar. In the latest such incident, two bridges in Siwan district collapsed amid heavy rainfall on July 3. No casualties or injuries were reported from the collapses. 

This was seventh such incident in the state within the past 15 days. 

The two bridges, about 35 years old, are situated in the district’s Deoria block and connect several villages with Mahrajganj, India Today reported. The collapse has disrupted traffic movements.  

No casualties have been reported so far. This is the second incident of bridge collapse in Siwan in the last 11 days. 

It is being said that of the two collapsed bridges, one was constructed in 1998 for Rs 6 lakh from the funds of then MP Prabhunath Singh. The other bridge was built in 2004 for Rs 10 lakhs from the same funds. 

Deputy Development Commissioner Mukesh Kumar said the exact cause is under investigation. Senior officials from the block have already reached the site, he added. 

“The incident took place around 5:00 am. As per initial information, the bridge was constructed in 1982-83. Repair work was going on the bridge for the last few days,” Kumar added. 

Villagers said that heavy rainfall for the past few days may have contributed to the collapse with a surge in the waters of the Gandaki river, which could have potentially weakened the structure.  

This incident follows another bridge collapse in Siwan just 11 days ago, underscoring growing concerns over the state of infrastructure in Bihar. On June 22, a portion of a bridge collapsed in Darounda area. 

Similar incidents have been reported in districts like Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran, and Kishanganj recently, prompting the Bihar government to set up a high-level committee to investigate these occurrences.