After Bihar, under-construction bridge in Jharkhand collapses
A section of an under-construction bridge in Giridih district, Jharkhand, collapsed on Saturday due to heavy rainfall. The bridge was being built over the Arga River by a private firm, Om Namah Shivay Constructions, under the supervision of the district's Road Construction Department. The project was estimated to cost over ₹5 crore and aimed to facilitate travel between Fatehpur and Bhelwaghati villages.
Aftermath of the collapse
Eyewitness account of the bridge collapse
Local residents reported that the heavy rain increased the river's velocity and volume, leading to the bridge's collapse on Saturday night. A video from the scene showed debris from a collapsed girder partially submerged in the river. "The water was flowing at high velocity. At around 6:30 pm, the bridge started collapsing," said a local resident, describing how a section of the bridge had already collapsed by their arrival at the spot.
Official confirmation and future course of action
Vinay Kumar, the Executive Engineer of the Road Construction Department in Giridih, confirmed that a single-span girder of the bridge had collapsed due to heavy rain, and a pillar had tilted. He stated that "the contractor has been asked to rebuild the portion." An engineer involved in the project revealed that casting on the girder was completed just a week prior and required at least 28 days to fully strengthen and stabilize.
5 bridges collapse in just 9 days
The bridge collapse in Giridih follows similar instances in Bihar, where at least five bridges have collapsed in just nine days. The most recent collapse occurred in the Madhubani region, when a part of a 77-meter-long bridge girder between two pillars collapsed. This bridge was being built under the Prime Minister's Rural Road Scheme by Bihar's Rural Development Department at an estimated cost of around ₹3 crore.
