Jharkhand and Bihar have signed a water-sharing agreement for the Sone river today (31 August 2026).

The agreement was signed by two governments of Bihar and Jharkhand in presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in New Delhi.

The pact ends a 25-year dispute that began after Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in November 2000.

Sone River Water Allocation

The final formula allocates 5.75 million acre-feet (MAF) of water to Bihar and 2.0 MAF to Jharkhand. The total allocation of 7.75 MAF corresponds to the share originally assigned to undivided Bihar under the 1973 Bansagar Agreement.

Bansagar Agreement and River Basin Context

The Bansagar Agreement was signed in 1973 by Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and undivided Bihar. The Sone river is a major tributary of the Ganga and supports irrigation in the eastern plains of India.

The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti mediated the settlement through a committee chaired by the Central Water Commission (CWC). A key breakthrough came at the Eastern Zonal Council meeting held on 10 July 2025 in Ranchi, which was chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.