Will waterways succeed where motorways have not?
October 31, 2017
Reviving trade on the waterways must not be at the expense of local communities who live along its banks, says new report
Freight transport on the Brahmaputra, at Hatsinghimari, Assam [Image: Veena Vidyadharan]
South Asia remains one of the least connected regions of the world, because of lack of infrastructure and deep political mistrust between countries. But in recent years a push to boost trade along the vast network of inland waterways of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (known as the BBIN sub region) has gathered strength.
A new study from CUTS International – “Expanding Tradable Benefits of Trans-boundary Water: Promoting Navigational Usage of Inland Waterways in Ganga and Brahmaputra Basins” – produced with support from The Asia Foundation, identifies some of the challenges for policymakers trying to realise these opportunities, and for communities living along the riverbanks.
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The transboundary river basins of the Ganga-Brahmaputra support the life and livelihoods of over 600 million people. Any changes to the river and its water flow from growing shipping and navigation will affect the livelihoods of the nearly 1.3 million farming households and tens of thousands of fishing households dependent on the rivers.
The development of inland waterways could create a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way to shuttle people and goods between countries and boost economic opportunities for communities living along the banks, in terms of boat making industry, fright handling, tourism etc.
However, if not properly regulated, the growth of this transport system will work against the interests of local communities and the environment in all four countries, concludes the report published in January. Environmental concerns like damage to fish and dolphin sanctuaries due to dredging, river water pollution due to oil spillage and waste disposal also pose real challenges in Bangladesh and India.
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Riding the wave
Historically, the waterways of the Ganga and Brahmaputra were central to a flourishing trade in South Asia. Under British colonial rule rivers were neglected in favour of railways and then road and later new political boundaries stymied cross border trade.
Though water is the major means of transport in Bangladesh, its scope is still hugely limited in India. With proper infrastructure land locked countries like Bhutan and Nepal could also benefit from the development of inland navigation in India and Bangladesh.
Momentum is now gathering again – and a series of bilateral and multilateral agreements have been signed in recent years. In 2015, Bangladesh and India signed a Protocol on Inland Water Trade and Transit (PIWTT), providing an opportunity for both countries to explore investment on the routes designated. This built on an existing protocol signed in 1972 through which Bangladesh allowed Indian ships to ply between West Bengal and Assam. In 2016, Bangladesh and India signed another Memorandum of Understating (MoU) to allow tourists from Bangladesh and India to use coastal and protocol routes between countries.
Bangladesh and India are currently working together and investing on infrastructure and maintenance to keep their protocol routes navigable throughout the year for cargo ships of no less than 2,000 tonnes capacity. Land-locked Bhutan also signed an MoU with Bangladesh in 2017 to use Bangladesh’s inland waterways for transportation of goods and services through Chittagong and Mongla ports for both imports and exports.
While these new agreements are welcome, the report collates concerns of local people in all four countries that developing river navigation will create major threats to river ecosystems and marginalised communities.
The authors of the report found that environmental concerns were raised in all four countries – especially in Bangladesh and India – about the risk of accidents, oil spills, waste discharge, turbidity changes and loss of spawning grounds for aquatic life with greater movement of vessels and further waterway developments. There were also many concerns about the effects of dredging, which is a must for navigation through the silt-laden rivers.
“Cumulative impact of these is also a recipe for disaster to the local communities living around the rivers, specifically the fishermen and agrarian communities that depend on the riverbeds for their overall sustenance,” warns the report.
Some of the key concerns highlighted:
Concerns for women
Key recommendations
The report identifies key recommendations for policymakers to protect local communities and ecosystems while promoting river transport: