The Bihar Cabinet on Tuesday approved the draft agreement for the long-pending water-sharing arrangement of the Son River between Bihar and Jharkhand.
The dispute over the sharing of the Son River water between the two states was resolved at the 27th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council, held in Ranchi on July 10, 2025, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary and Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary had strongly presented Bihar’s case.
Under the Bansagar Agreement of 1973 among Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, the then undivided Bihar had been allocated 7.75 million acre-feet (MAF) of water.
Since the bifurcation of Bihar in 2000, Jharkhand has repeatedly raised demands for a share of the water between the two states.
After deliberations at the 27th Eastern Zonal Council meeting, it was agreed that out of the 7.75 MAF allocated to undivided Bihar, 5.75 MAF would be allotted to Bihar and 2.00 MAF to Jharkhand.
Following the Cabinet’s approval, the concerned departments of both states will explore ways to ensure the early execution of the agreement.
The decision is expected to pave the way for the implementation of the long-pending Indrapuri Reservoir Project, which will help ensure sustainable irrigation facilities in the districts of Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur, Aurangabad, Patna, Gaya, and Arwal.