Blitz India Business
NEW DELHI: A 25-year-old dispute between Bihar and Jharkhand over the sharing of Sone River waters was resolved recently, with the two states signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the national Capital in the presence of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah.
The agreement is expected to ensure water for irrigation and drinking purposes across several districts of Bihar and Jharkhand.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister, the Union Home Secretary, and senior officials from the Centre and both states were present on the occasion.
Shah said the agreement had resolved a long-awaited water dispute in eastern India and would provide irrigation water to lakhs of farmers in large rural areas of Bihar and Jharkhand, besides meeting the drinking water needs of the people.
He described the agreement as an example of the ‘Team Bharat’ vision and cooperative federalism championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said a press release from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
“While all states possess their own distinct identities, if they move forward as ‘Team Bharat’ within the national context, there is no problem which cannot be resolved,” Shah said.
He added that the agreement marked the fourth water-sharing agreement between states this year, which would enhance water availability for irrigation, rural development and drinking purposes.
The agreement would ensure adequate water for drinking and irrigation across Bihar’s Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur, Aurangabad, Arwal, Gaya and Patna districts.
In Jharkhand, the agreement would facilitate the availability of water for irrigation and drinking purposes in Palamu, Garhwa and other regions, he said.
Jharkhand and Bihar CMs expressed gratitude to PM Modi and HM Shah for facilitating the resolution of the Sone River water-sharing issue.
Under the agreement, Bihar will receive 5.75 million acre-feet (MAF) of water from the river, while Jharkhand has been allocated 2.00 MAF.
The Bihar Chief Minister recalled that under the 1973 Bansagar Agreement, out of the total 14.25 MAF water available in the Sone River, Madhya Pradesh was allocated 5.25 MAF, Uttar Pradesh 1.25 MAF, and the then undivided Bihar 7.75 MAF.
After Jharkhand was created in 2000, a dispute emerged over the division of Bihar’s share of 7.75 MAF between the two states.
The agreement is expected to provide a major boost to irrigation, drinking water supply, and industrial development in the plateau and drought-prone regions of southern Bihar and Jharkhand. Improved water availability is likely to expand irrigation coverage, ease drinking water shortages, and strengthen long-term water security in both states.
