Bihar

Bihar is the third largest Indian state population-wise and the twelfth largest state area-wise with 96% of its area being a plain terrain. The Ganga river divides the state into two regions, namely North Bihar and South Bihar. The northern regions have Himalayan tributaries of the river Ganga and large flood plains. This chapter deals with the various types of soils and rocks available in the state of Bihar, utilisation of soil and rock as construction materials and vulnerability of natural hazards and effects due to environmental conditions. The northern region of the state is mostly a plain terrain having silty soil in the upper layers, but at some instances, the silt content has also been observed in the lower layers. In the south of the Ganga river, clayey soil has been observed in the upper strata. The most common soils in Bihar are Gangetic alluvium of the Indo-Gangetic plain region, Piedmont Swamp soil which is found in the north-western part of the West Champaran district and Terai soil which is found in the eastern part of Bihar along the border of Nepal. The northern region of Bihar has been observed to have high risks of natural hazards, namely earthquakes and floods. One of the districts, Gaya, has been observed to have major pollution of soils due to the growing use of fertilisers. The details about the natural resources, natural hazards occurring in the state and environmental concerns on soil and rocks are also included in the chapter.