Bihar and Jharkhand on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for sharing 7.75 million acre-feet of water from the Sone River, bringing an end to a nearly 25-year-old dispute between the two states. The agreement was signed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil, Bihar's deputy chief minister, the Union home secretary and senior officials of the Centre and the two states.
Water for farmers
Shah said the agreement would ensure adequate irrigation and drinking water for a large population in Bihar and Jharkhand and directly benefit lakhs of farmers.
In a post on X, the home minister said the settlement would also provide fresh momentum to the development of rural areas. He stressed that disputes could be resolved when states worked together through dialogue. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Shah described the settlement of the nearly 25-year-old dispute as an example of cooperative federalism. He said issues affecting large geographical areas, farmers, rural communities and drinking water supplies in the two states had now been "permanently resolved".
The agreement is expected to improve the availability of water for irrigation and drinking purposes across Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur, Aurangabad, Arwal, Gaya and Patna districts in Bihar. In Jharkhand, Palamu, Garhwa and adjoining areas are expected to benefit.
Dispute dates back to 2000
The roots of the water-sharing arrangement go back to 1973, when Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and undivided Bihar entered into an agreement on sharing the waters of the Sone River and the cost of the Bansagar dam in Madhya Pradesh. The dispute emerged following the creation of Jharkhand in 2000. Jharkhand sought a larger share of water from the Bansagar project on the grounds that a substantial portion of its catchment area fell within the newly created state. Bihar, meanwhile, continued to base its claim on the 1973 agreement.
Shah said Monday's agreement was the fourth major inter-state water-related settlement reached this year. He termed it an "excellent" example of 'Team Bharat' and said states could retain their distinct identities while working collectively in the national interest.
Soren and Choudhary thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah for facilitating the settlement, according to an official statement.
Fourth water pact this year
The Centre said several long-pending inter-state water disputes had been addressed this year through dialogue and coordination.
On July 7, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh reached an agreement concerning outstanding payments among the beneficiary states of the Narmada Award. The settlement addressed long-standing disagreements over cost-sharing for the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Project through a one-time settlement of outstanding dues.
Earlier, Rajasthan and Haryana signed an agreement on June 29 for the construction and implementation of the Yamuna Water Project. The pact is aimed at enabling Rajasthan to utilise the water allocated to it under the 1994 agreement on sharing usable surface water in the Upper Yamuna Basin.
A consensus was also reached on the long-pending Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project at a meeting chaired by Shah on June 16. Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan agreed to an MoU for implementing the project.