Monsoon season: Culvert collapses in Bihar’s West Champaran

Patna: Bihar is facing significant challenges in its infrastructure as bridges and culverts continue to collapse amidst the severe monsoon conditions.

The latest incident occurred in the Bagaha subdivision of West Champaran district on Monday, where a culvert in Sapahi village collapsed. The incident has disrupted normal life, as the road was a crucial route for residents of 25 villages across three Panchayats.

The culvert was built on the main road from Sapahi to Belwa block which was constructed five years ago. The culvert and the connecting road caved in due to continuous rain.

The villagers claim that the recent collapse exposes the poor quality of the developmental work carried out by the administration. The road and culvert were reportedly repaired just two months ago.

Villagers hold the contractor and engineer responsible for the collapse, alleging malpractices and collusion between officials and the contractor. They have also lodged a complaint with the Block Development Officer (BDO) and Circle Officer (CO) of the region.

Rising water levels of the Gandak River are posing a flood threat in several areas of Bagaha.

This is the 14th case of a bridge or culvert collapsing in Bihar since June 18.