Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti has directed her Ministry officials to call a meeting of Bansagar Control Board (BCB) soon. It may be recalled that Uttar Pradesh Government in a recent communication sent to Chairman, Central Water Commission has requested that suitable directions may be issued to Government of Madhya Pradesh to release 2000 cusecs of water from Bansagar dam for two months into Sone river against the due share of U.P. i.e. one Million Acre-Feet from Bansagar dam as per Bansagar Agreement 1973. In its communication UP Government has said that due to severe hot weather and scarcity of rains, an acute crisis of drinking and irrigation water has arisen in the districts of Sonbhadra and Mirzapur. Local bandhis and ponds are dry and water table has reached at a alarming low level. The Sone pump canal too is not running as the minimum water level (164.612M) in Sone river required to run the pump is not available at present.
MP Government has refused to release the desired water on the ground that since UP has not agreed to share the operation and maintenance expenses of Bansagar dam hence they have not stored the due share of water of UP in Bansagar dam. UP Government has refuted this claim of MP. BCB is a subordinate office of the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Government of India. The Board was set up vide Resolution dated the January 30, 1976. This Resolution was in accordance with the Bansagar Agreement reached between the Governments of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on the September 16, 1973 for sharing the waters of River Sone and the cost of the Bansagar Dam. The Chief Ministers of UP and Bihar and Irrigation Minister of MP are the members of BCB.