Sone River Water Sharing Agreement (Geography)
Sone River Water Sharing Agreement (Geography)
Why In News:
Bihar and Jharkhand signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 31 August 2026 to end a nearly 25-year-old dispute over sharing of the Sone river's waters.
Sone River
The Sone (Son) River originates near Amarkantak hills of Maikal Range in Madhya Pradesh and flows north-eastwards before joining the Ganga near Patna, Bihar.
It passes through Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar, with parts of its basin also extending into Chhattisgarh.
The Sone is an important right-bank tributary of the Ganga and is among the major rivers draining the northern part of the Peninsular Plateau.
The Indrapuri Barrage, located on the Sone in Rohtas district of Bihar, is a key component of the Sone irrigation system.
Major Tributaries of the Sone River
Rihand River: The largest and most important tributary of the Sone- the Rihand Dam is built across it.
North Koel River: A major right-bank tributary of the Sone.
Kanhar River: An important southern tributary originating in the highlands.
Gopad River: A significant tributary draining parts of Madhya Pradesh.
Banas River: An important western tributary originating in Madhya Pradesh.
Water-Sharing Agreement
Bihar and Jharkhand signed an agreement in August 2026 to settle the long-standing dispute over the sharing of Sone waters that emerged after the creation of Jharkhand in 2000.
Under the agreement, the Sone basin allocation is 5.75 million acre-feet (MAF) for Bihar and 2.0 MAF for Jharkhand.
The settlement is significant for the proposed Indrapuri Reservoir Project, which is intended to strengthen irrigation and water management in the Sone basin.
The agreement follows the earlier Bansagar Agreement of 1973, under which undivided Bihar had a specified share in the Sone waters.
Constitutional & Institutional Framework
Article 262 of the Constitution empowers Parliament to provide for the adjudication of disputes relating to the waters of inter-State rivers and river valleys.
Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956: Provides for the establishment of water dispute tribunals when negotiations between States fail to resolve a river-water dispute.
Tribunals are constituted by the Central Government within one year of receiving a request from a State, subject to the conditions laid down in the Act.
* River Boards Act, 1956: Provides for the establishment of River Boards for the regulation and development of inter-State rivers and river valleys.
○ A River Board can advise States on matters such as water utilisation, irrigation, flood control and coordinated development.
* Inter-State Council – Article 263: Provides an institutional mechanism for Centre-State and inter-State coordination and cooperation.
It can discuss matters of common interest and make recommendations for better coordination between governments.