Acting East from North East India

The article has been authored by Shrabana Barua, assistant professor, department of political science, Hindu College, Delhi University.

On May 28 and 29, the Asian Confluence, a think-tank based out of Shillong, organised a river conclave in Guwahati, in collaboration with the ministry of external affairs and Act East Dpartment, government of Assam. The theme, with the acronym NADI - Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence - was aptly chosen to bring out the ties between India and its eastern neighbourhood, anchored on water- based networks. Ministers, ambassadors, high commissioners and dignitaries from Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Japan were present. But, more importantly, the event reflected the growing traction that Northeast Region (NER) finds in India’s Act East Policy (AEP) and Neighbourhood First Policy in real terms.

On May 28 and 29, the Asian Confluence, a think-tank based out of Shillong, organised a river conclave in Guwahati, in collaboration with the ministry of external affairs and Act East Dpartment, government of Assam.

The topography of the NER and countries to its east are abound by rivers and water bodies. It is not connected just contiguously by them, but by a shared history and culture, as well by trade and commerce. The stories of Chaulung Sukafa, the first Ahom king of Assam in the 13th century, crossing over the Patkai hills, to the cooking pots that reached through riverways, from the Mazhar Sharif of Nizaamuddin Auliya in Delhi to that of Hazrat Shah Jalal’s in Sylhet, resonated well with the aim of the event, i.e. highlighting commonalities and facilitating collaborations.

Ten river systems originate from the Hindu Kush mountains. Of them, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and the Mekong basins have challenges that are marked out as common and in need of solutions beyond political ones. The NADI conclave deliberated upon addressing these issues through its focus on 5C’s – connectivity, culture, commerce, conservation and collaboration. An additional C found its space during the deliberations, that of capacity-building, which dovetailed well with the others.

Connectivity remained an overbearing agenda. Though a comprehensive understanding of the same was brought out, especially that of people-to-people (P2P), India’s finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, reiterated the need to revive and expand the inland water networks. On that front, the importance of the Protocol on Inland Waterways Transit and Trade between India and Bangladesh was highlighted by many. In February this year, the cargo vessel carrying food grains, that reached from Bihar to Pandu in Assam, was cited as a case in point. Further, World Bank data suggests that if goods can be transported via waterways, trade could become 40% more efficient. Therefore, efforts at making the national waterway two and 16, for instance, meandering through the Brahmaputra and Barak systems respectively, are well placed. Then why not go ahead with these projects?

As much as New Delhi has repeatedly promoted its major infrastructure projects in the region (nine national and two international projects were enumerated), there is no denying that the challenges are manifold. One, the construction of dams by China in the upper stream of the Brahmaputra, a topic that seems to have been surprisingly missed out during the recent conclave, will invariable create issues of water insecurity and geopolitical mistrust. Hydro-diplomacy needs more forward thinking today than ever. Two, the problem of siltation was rightly pointed out as a hurdle to seamless and perennial river connectivity. But solutions to it were found inadequate. For instance, continuous dredging is looked at as an option. This not only sounds cost intensive but also overwhelming, unless a mechanism is put to place for it on time. Otherwise, imagine a scenario where a future government fails to prioritise such projects.

If simplified, three broad takeaways can be listed. One, the overwhelming response to the NADI conclave, both during and after it, by stakeholders from within and outside of the country, suggests that as an arrowhead of India’s AEP, NER has been found to have sharpened its tip. It is no surprise that besides Japan, that already has huge investments in the region, Singapore has announced that it will help build smart logistics centre, assist in smart city projects and expand the Assam Skill Development Centre to enhance capacity building.

Two, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), which recently signed a Charter, seems to have found fertile ground for multi-dimensional collaborations in the region. For example, the aims of the BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity converges well with the deliberations of the NADI conclave. Not only this, the attempt to have a dialogue to streamline efforts of BIMSTEC with other regional forums such as the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) or sub-regional forums such as the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) were noted. This emerges as a catalyst to the larger goal of having a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) that Quad has set for the Indo-Pacific.

Three, development has to go hand in hand with care for the environment. The theme of NADI reminds us that geographically, the region so rich in resources has great potential, which invariably adds greater responsibilities on the governments and the people at large. We may wonder today if what John Mearshimmer states about the “stopping power of water”, remains relevant or not, given the attempt to connect through marinetime means. But as India’s foreign minister, S Jaishanker rightly states, “NADI is life”. And we should not forget that.

(The article has been authored by Shrabana Barua, assistant professor, department of political science, Hindu College, Delhi University.)