NationalTuesday, 1 September 2026·The Hindu - National
Bihar–Jharkhand Sone River water pact: 5.75 MAF and 2 MAF allocation settled
Bihar and Jharkhand signed an MoU in September 2026 to settle the long-pending Sone River water-sharing dispute with fixed MAF allocations.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In September 2026, Bihar and Jharkhand signed an MoU in Delhi to settle the Sone River water-sharing dispute, fixing 5.75 million acre-feet (MAF) for Bihar and 2 MAF for Jharkhand.
Key specifics
- The agreement was signed in Delhi in the presence of Amit Shah, C.R. Patil, Samrat Choudhary and Hemant Soren.
- The dispute concerned 7.75 MAF of Sone water originally allocated to then-undivided Bihar under the 1973 Bansagar Agreement.
- Under the 1973 allocation, Madhya Pradesh received 5.25 MAF and Uttar Pradesh 1.25 MAF from the total 14.25 MAF.
- The issue remained unresolved for about 25 years after Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000.
- The pact is expected to benefit districts such as Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur, Aurangabad, Arwal, Gaya and Patna, and Jharkhand’s Palamu and Garhwa.
Exam lens
Question type: inter-state water dispute and cooperative federalism, key facts: 1973 Bansagar Agreement, 14.25 MAF total, 5.75 MAF to Bihar, 2 MAF to Jharkhand, 2000 bifurcation of Bihar. TNPSC one-liner: Which agreement resolved the Sone River water-sharing dispute between Bihar and Jharkhand?