MoRTH and Bihar Govt. Sign MoU for Scientific Desilting of Water Bodies

In a significant step towards integrating water-body restoration with infrastructure development, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Government of Bihar today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for scientific desilting of identified rivers and other water bodies and utilisation of suitable excavated silt in National Highway construction projects in Bihar. The MoU was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.

Envisioned as ‘Nadi Sanjivani’, the initiative seeks to restore the water-carrying capacity of rivers and water bodies, strengthen flood management, conserve agricultural land and provide a sustainable source of construction material for National Highway projects. It presents an integrated approach to addressing water-management challenges while supporting infrastructure expansion.

The MoU marks an important step towards integrating river restoration, flood management, agricultural conservation and infrastructure development through sustainable resource utilisation. By converting excavated silt into a productive construction resource, the initiative will help conserve agricultural land, improve efficiency in highway construction and support restoration of water bodies.

The occasion was attended by NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav, Director General Shri Sudeep Chaudhary, NHIDCL Managing Director Krishna Kumar, Bihar Government Secretaries Pankaj Pal and Atul Kumar, and other senior officials and dignitaries.(UPDATED ON 3RD NOEMBER 2026)