NE connectivity through Bangladesh waterways

In March this year, the smooth completion of the maiden pilot run from Patna to Pandu via Bangladesh by a self-propelled vessel MV Lal Bahadur Shastri carrying 200 MT of food grains for Food Corporation of India brightened hopes for running fixed schedule sailing between Ganga and Brahmaputra and between Ganga and Barak. It has also prompted the Ministry of Port, Shipping and Waterways to plan the world's longest river cruise of 50-day duration that will set sail from Varanasi on January 10 next year and reach Dibrugarh via Bangladesh on March 1 covering 4,000 km. Navigability of Brahmaputra and Barak in Assam and rivers in Bangladesh forming part of Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes is critical for the sustainability of regular plying of passenger and cargo vessels connecting India's north-eastern region and the rest of India through the waterways of the two neighbouring countries. These rivers being most sediment-laden carry huge quantities of suspended loads, dredging of river stretches for maintenance of shipping lanes is a challenging task and requires heavy investment. Two stretches of IBP routes - Sirajganj-Daikhowa (175 km) of Jamuna River and Ashuganj-Zakiganj (295 km) of Kushiyara River are being developed for Rs 304.84 crore with India sharing 80% of the total cost and 20% shared by Bangladesh. Contracts for dredging on the two stretches for providing and maintaining requisite depth for a period of seven years (from 2019 to 2026) are underway which will ensure the seamless movement of vessels. Deepening bilateral relations between the two neighbouring countries led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2017 for the development of these two stretches of IBP routes. The objective of the MoU was to develop a navigable fairway around the year to enhance trade and the safe passage of goods between the two countries. The memorandum states that the contractors (agencies), manpower (workers) and machinery (dredgers and related equipment) involved in the development of the fairway shall be subject to national laws and regulations of Bangladesh. The MoU will be till the completion of seven year assured depth dredging contract and increasing trade between the countries through these river routes will be the key driver for renewal of the MoU for longer periods. Operationalization of IBP routes 5 and 6 from Maia near Farakka in India to Aricha in Bangladesh will reduce Inland Water Transport distance between National Waterway (NW)-1(Ganga) and NW-2 (Brahmaputra) by nearly 1000 km and hence less time and less cost. That maintaining the Least Assured Depth during the dry season is the most challenging part of the development of IBP stretches for round-the-year navigability can be gauged from the fact that maintenance dredging will lead to the generation of 10.80 lakh cubic metre dredged material in Sirajganj-Daikhowa stretch and 4.5 lakh cubic metre in Ashuganj-Zakiganj every year. Safe disposal of such huge quantities of dredged material presents an environmental challenge which needs consideration while planning for long-term sustainability. Changing water flow and sediment load on account of global warming and climate change impact as well as the construction of hydropower projects in the entire Brahmaputra, Barak, Ganga and Jamuna basins will also have to be factored in for calculating the maintenance cost in the long run. A joint team of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Bangladesh Inland Water Authority conducted the hydrographic survey in No Man's land of river Kushiyara between the two countries in the last week of October and the Dredging Corporation of India will be undertaking dredging work between Bhanga and Badarpur (10.50 km) for maintaining the fairway on Barak River which will facilitate smooth connectivity between Barak and Ganga through Ashuganj-Zakiganj. Synergy in maintenance dredging in Ganga, Brahmaputra, Barak and IBP routes will be crucial to prevent any bottleneck in round the yearly operation of vessels. The Barak river from Bhanga to Lakhipur (121 km) which has been declared as NW-16 connects Barak Valley with NW1 and the rest of India through IBP routes 3 and 4 (Kolkata-Karimganj-Kolkata) and with Brahmaputra through IBP route 7 and 8 (Karimganj-Silghat-Karimganj). Renovation of IWAI terminals at Badarpur along NW- 16 and Karimganj in the Karimganj District along the IBP route currently underway will boost the export of goods from Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi in Assam and adjoining states of Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya. Inland water transport is energy efficient, and one litre of fuel can transport cargo by 100 km on the water as compared to 20 km by road and 80 km by rail which explains the importance of Brahmaputra and Barak in faster growth of export-import trade in the northeast region. North-eastern states preparing the roadmap for optimal utilization of developed waterways of India and Bangladesh, by identifying agricultural and horticultural produce, processed foods, and manufactured goods that they can put in the region's export baskets as well as for domestic markets in the rest of India will be crucial for the economic viability of these inland water routes.