Sone River Water-Sharing Agreement  

Why in News?

Bihar and Jharkhand signed an MoU on August, 2026 for sharing Sone River water.

• Background – The dispute arose after Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000, concerning the water allocation earlier made to undivided Bihar.
• 1973 Bansagar Agreement –  the total allocation of Sone water was 14.25 million-acre-feet (MAF) – State Allocation
  • Madhya Pradesh 5.25 MAF
  • Uttar Pradesh  1.25 MAF
  • Undivided Bihar       7.75 MAF
• New Agreement – Bihar: 5.75 MAF, Jharkhand: 2 MAF, Total: 7.75 MAF.
• Significance – It is expected to improve irrigation and drinking-water availability.
• Particularly important for drought-prone and plateau regions of South Bihar and Jharkhand.
• May facilitate projects such as reservoir construction and proposed Sone–Falgu river linking.

Sone River

• The Sone (Son) River is an important tributary of the Ganga.
• It is associated with the South Bihar region and flows through/along Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar.
• It joins the Ganga near Patna.

Reference

The Hindu| Sone River Water-Sharing Agreement