Bihar and Jharkhand on Monday will sign an agreement formalising the sharing of Sone river waters, resolving the dispute that has persisted since Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000.
“All details had already been finalised. Chief ministers of both states are coming to sign the pact Monday,” a senior Union Jal Shakti ministry official told HT, on condition of anonymity.
HT had on July 24 reported that the agreement was very close to be signed after both states completed their internal approvals. The development comes after Jharkhand in July passed the matter in its cabinet earlier this month.
Also Read | Bihar’s Indrapuri reservoir project awaits Jharkhand nod on Sone water-sharing
The agreement settles the division of the erstwhile undivided Bihar’s allocation under the 1973 Bansagar Agreement.
Of the total 7.75 million acre-feet (MAF) of Sone river water originally allocated to Bihar, 5.75 MAF will now go to Bihar and the remaining 2.0 MAF of water to Jharkhand. The allocation follows the unanimous recommendation of a committee constituted by the Centre under the chairmanship of the Central Water Commission to resolve the long-pending issue.
The Bansagar Agreement, signed in 1973 between Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and the then undivided Bihar, governs the sharing of Sone river waters.
{{/usCountry}}The Bansagar Agreement, signed in 1973 between Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and the then undivided Bihar, governs the sharing of Sone river waters.
{{/usCountry}}Also Read | Bihar, Jharkhand set to sign MoU for sharing Sone river waters
While the agreement continued after Jharkhand was carved out in November 2000, the division of Bihar’s share between the two successor states had remained unresolved for nearly 25 years.