Assam’s rivers must become highways of opportunity

Siddharth Roy

(siddharth001.roy@gmail.com)

Assam has an extraordinary geographical advantage that it has yet to fully convert into economic strength: its rivers. For centuries, the Brahmaputra and Barak have carried people, produce and ideas across the Northeast, connecting settlements that roads and railways would reach much later. Today, as Assam seeks stronger trade links with neighbouring countries and a more integrated economy, its waterways offer an opportunity to reconsider what connectivity means. The question is no longer whether rivers can carry commerce, but whether the State can make navigation reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable.

The Brahmaputra, designated National Waterway 2 (NW-2), stretches 891 kilometres from the Bangladesh border near Dhubri to Sadiya. Its significance extends beyond Assam’s boundaries. Through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol routes, it can connect the Northeast with Bangladesh and the ports of Kolkata and Haldia, offering an alternative to the circuitous movement of goods by road. The river could therefore become not merely a transport corridor within Assam but also an economic artery linking the region to wider domestic and international markets.

The inauguration of the Rs 82.03-crore inland waterways terminal at Jogighopa in February 2025 offers a tangible starting point. Spread across 15 acres, the facility has an initial cargo-handling capacity of 1.1 million tonnes annually and is connected by road to the Jogighopa Multi-Modal Logistics Park. Its proximity to Bhutan’s proposed Gelephu Mindfulness City creates opportunities to transport construction materials, agricultural products and other commodities through a combination of road and river transport. The terminal could strengthen commercial links between India, Bhutan and Bangladesh, provided that the infrastructure is supported by regular cargo services and predictable customs procedures.

Yet a terminal is only as useful as the waterway connecting it to markets. Official figures indicate that approximately six lakh tonnes of cargo move annually along NW-2, including foodgrains, fertilisers, building materials and oversized industrial equipment. This is significant, but modest when measured against the river’s geographical reach and Assam’s logistical requirements. The challenge is to turn occasional shipments into dependable commercial schedules, enabling businesses to plan around waterways rather than treating them as an alternative available only when circumstances permit.

The Brahmaputra is not a conventional canal. Its shifting channels, seasonal fluctuations, sedimentation and powerful currents make navigation a demanding engineering undertaking. Maintaining adequate depth requires hydrographic surveys, dredging where scientifically justified, navigational markers and timely information for vessel operators. The Inland Waterways Authority of India maintains different least available depths along NW-2, reflecting the changing navigational conditions between Dhubri, Neamati and the upper reaches. Such variation demands vessel designs and cargo schedules suited to actual river conditions rather than ambitious projections based on the river’s apparent size.

Assam must also look beyond the Brahmaputra. The Barak river system, with its connections through the Surma-Kushiyara-Meghna network, offers another route towards Bangladesh and the wider Bay of Bengal region. National Waterway 16, which covers the Barak from Lakhipur to Bhanga, has the potential to improve connectivity for southern Assam, particularly the Barak Valley. Its development could reduce the region’s dependence on long road journeys, support the movement of agricultural produce and improve access to markets. However, meaningful progress requires coordinated investment in navigable stretches, terminals, transshipment facilities and last-mile connections.

Smaller rivers and feeder waterways deserve similar attention. Assam’s river network can serve districts and settlements that are poorly connected to major freight corridors, provided that services are designed around local demand. The State government has estimated that Assam has approximately 2,900 kilometres of inland waterways, indicating the scale of the opportunity. However, navigable length alone is not an economic achievement. A waterway becomes productive only when farmers, traders, manufacturers and passengers can use it regularly, safely and at a competitive cost.

The first priority should be to identify cargo that genuinely benefits from river transport. Cement, stone aggregates, fertilisers, foodgrains, petroleum products and oversized machinery can be suitable commodities, depending on handling requirements and destinations. Bulk shipments could connect production centres and warehouses with terminals along the Brahmaputra, while smaller vessels and feeder services could transport produce from rural collection points. Scheduled roll-on/roll-off services could also reduce travel distances at selected river crossings. The Neamati-Kamalabari connection, for instance, has been proposed as a way to replace a road journey of about 410 kilometres with a river crossing of roughly 12.7 kilometres. Such examples demonstrate how waterways can save time as well as fuel when intelligently integrated with road networks.

Tourism offers another avenue. Cruises between Pandu and Neamati already demonstrate the Brahmaputra’s appeal, while river journeys could connect cultural destinations, river islands and historic settlements. Carefully regulated passenger services could improve mobility for riverine communities and generate employment in boat operations, hospitality and local guiding. However, tourism must not turn fragile riverbanks and islands into disposable attractions. Waste management, passenger safety, carrying-capacity assessments and community participation must precede any expansion.

The environmental case for waterways is compelling, though not automatic. Moving suitable bulk cargo by vessel can reduce road congestion and emissions per tonne-kilometre. However, indiscriminate dredging, poorly planned terminals and disregard for river ecology could damage aquatic habitats, alter sediment patterns and intensify erosion risks. Assam needs transparent environmental assessments, continuous monitoring and consultation with river-dependent communities. Navigation policy must recognise that the Brahmaputra is simultaneously a transport route, a living ecosystem and a source of livelihoods.

Ultimately, Assam needs a unified waterways strategy that links the Brahmaputra, Barak and smaller navigable rivers with roads, railways, warehouses and international trade routes. Public investment should prioritise reliable navigation, modern vessels, digital cargo tracking, multimodal terminals and transparent tariffs. Private operators will participate when cargo volumes, turnaround times and regulatory procedures become predictable. Success should be measured not by the number of terminals inaugurated or kilometres declared navigable, but by lower logistics costs, dependable services, better market access and the livelihoods created.

Assam cannot control the rivers that shape its geography, but it can decide how intelligently to use them. The Brahmaputra’s future should not be measured only by the water flowing through its channels but also by the opportunities moving along them. If Assam can combine engineering discipline with ecological restraint and commercial foresight, its waterways could become more than inherited geographical features. They could become the foundations of a more connected and prosperous Northeast.

(The author is a Consultant to Rashtriya Raksha University under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Civil engineer and a Columnist. The Views are personal. He can be reached at siddharth001.roy@gmail.com)