Bihar, Jharkhand resolve 25-year river water-sharing dispute

Patna: Bihar and Jharkhand on Monday resolved a 25-year-old dispute over the sharing of Son river water, which had emerged after Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000.

The two states signed an agreement on the issue under the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, bringing an end to the long-standing disagreement over the river's water distribution.

The Son river has an estimated 7.75 million acre-feet (MAF) of water. Under the agreement, 5.75 MAF will be allocated to Bihar and 2 MAF to Jharkhand.

The agreement was reached keeping the interests of farmers in both Bihar and Jharkhand in mind.

The settlement also clears the way for Bihar to proceed with the construction of the Indrapuri Dam, subject to the applicable approvals and procedures.