Navigating transboundary rivers

Transboundary rivers used to be natural routes of connectivity for communities living along them for trade and commerce, but it is geopolitics and diplomatic relations among basin countries which determine how they are to be shared in the contemporary period. India's 'Act East' and 'Neighbourhood First' policies have unlocked huge opportunities for restoration of lost river and sea routes that are vital to end geographic isolation of the Northeast region and provide alternative connectivity. The pace of commissioning of some key connectivity projects for the region through transboundary waterways and sea routes demonstrates the complexities in transboundary water governance and hydro diplomacy. Such complexities cannot be wished away and require sustained diplomatic efforts to remove the bottlenecks. The Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Transport signed by India and Bangladesh in 1972 has gained prominence after bilateral relations between the two neighbouring countries deepened under India's Neighbourhood First policy and multilateral relations under the sub-regional architectures like BIMSTEC and BBIN. The IBP route provides the vital link through Bangladesh between the National Waterway (NW)-2 (river Brahmaputra) from Sadiya to Dhubri and the NW-1 (river Ganga) through the Kolkata/Haldia ports. The Central government has initiated development of NW 1 for an estimated cost of Rs 461 crore over a period of five years till 2025 to provide a navigable fairway with day and night navigation aids and terminals. Construction of the Jogighopa terminal, an alternative road to the Pandu Port, a ship repair facility at Pandu and construction of tourist jetties at Biswanath Ghat, Jogighopa, Pandu and Neamati are other components of the project, commissioning and operation of which will open floodgates of opportunities for Assam and other states in the region. The improved transborder connectivity along the Brahmaputra is also beneficial for Bangladesh and Bhutan as it provides vital connectivity to these two countries for bilateral trade and commerce. Bhutanese traders prefer this route as it helps them cut down cost for exporting consignments to Bangladesh, compared to the land route through West Bengal, but they encounter navigability issues which need to be addressed. Deepening bilateral and multilateral relations have prompted India to initiate the ambitious Eastern Waterway Connectivity Transport Grid of about 5,000 km of navigable waterways to boost regional integration and trade with BBIN countries and with ASEAN countries like Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways plan also envisages seamless connectivity between NW 1 and NW 2 through the IBP route to improve connectivity with the Northeast region, besides linking Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal to the grid through multimodal connectivity project. A cargo vessel carrying 200 MT of food grains for the Food Corporation of India from Patna docking at Pandu port in March marked a historic milestone in bilateral initiative by India and Bangladesh to share inland waters to facilitate seamless connectivity through the two national waterways. The vessel covered a total distance of 2,350 km which also demonstrated the viability of an alternative connectivity for the Northeast region with rest of India that is cheaper and ecologically sustainable. The Inland Water Authority of India is planning to run a regular scheduled service on these routes and two stretches of IBP routes are also being developed at a cost of Rs 305.84 crore, 80% of cost shared by India and 20% by Bangladesh. Sustainability of seamless connectivity along these routes will depend on maintenance of requisite depth and regular flow of fund for dredging work as well undertaking basin level management for reducing sediment load on the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries on account of rampant clearance of forest on river catchments. Apart from cargo transport, the seamless connectivity through inland waterways between India and Bangladesh has also unlocked huge potential of river cruise tourism in the Northeast region. India and Bangladesh signed a Standard Operating Procedure on the coastal and protocol routes which provides policy framework to facilitate river cruise tourism via IBP route and NW 1. Northeast being a prime destination of domestic and international tourists, river cruises on these routes will bring new opportunities for the tourism industry in the region. The Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project is another initiative by India to provide an alternative connectivity to the Northeast region with the rest of India from the Kolkata/Haldia port through Sittwe Port and Kaladan river up to Paletwa in Myanmar by sea route and inland waterway and from Paletwa to Zorinpui in Mizoram by road. Long delays in execution of some project components have led to postponement of the target date of commissioning and cost escalation. India has meticulously leveraged the two key foreign policy initiatives to deepen its relations with neighbouring countries and translate the vision of improving connectivity between the landlocked Northeast and the rest of India by developing alternative routes through Bangladesh and Myanmar into a reality. Transboundary rivers in the sub-region have become important domains of bilateral and multilateral dialogue for strategic cooperation.