Bihar and Jharkhand signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on sharing Sone River water on Monday. The agreement was inked in Delhi in the presence of Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation Amit Shah, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil.
Mr. He added that this marked the fourth water agreement between States this year, which would enhance water availability for irrigation, rural development and drinking purposes. Both Mr. Choudhary and Mr. Soren expressed their gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for resolving the issue of the Sone River water sharing. Mr. “This [the agreement] will improve water availability, particularly in the plateau and drought-prone regions of South Bihar and Jharkhand. It will lead to the expansion of irrigation facilities, alleviate drinking water shortages, and provide fresh momentum to industrial development. Furthermore, it will ensure long-term water security for both States,” Mr.
“The agreement reached today to resolve the nearly 25-year-old water dispute between Bihar and Jharkhand exemplifies that any problem can be resolved through dialogue conducted with the spirit of cooperative federalism. Choudhary said that under the 1973 Bansagar Agreement, out of the total 14.25 MAF of Sone river water, 5.25 MAF was allocated to Madhya Pradesh, 1.25 MAF to Uttar Pradesh, and 7.75 MAF to then-undivided Bihar. After Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000, a dispute arose between the two States regarding the sharing of the 7.75 MAF of water, which remained unresolved for the past 25 years.
Shah said the agreement had resolved a long-pending water dispute in eastern India. He said it would provide irrigation water to lakhs of farmers in rural Bihar and Jharkhand and drinking water for a large population. He also stated that the agreement was an “excellent” example of the ‘Team Bharat’ vision and cooperative federalism championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that while all States possessed their own distinct identities, if they moved forward as ‘Team Bharat’ within the national context, there would not be any problem that could not be resolved. Shah said. Choudhary said.
Issues concerning vast geographical areas, farmers, rural regions and drinking water supplies in both States have been permanently resolved today,” Mr.
