Water Diplomacy in BBIN Subregion: Balancing (Geo) Economics, Politics and Ecology

Northeast India is an emergent strategic node sitting at the intersection of multimodal development projects on the one hand, and evolving geo-economic interests on the other. The benefits of inland waterways transport have caught the political vision and imagination of countries in the BBIN Subregion. Several policy initiatives are being undertaken by the Indian government such as building Multimodal Logistics Parks (MMLP), Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP), building of Ports of Call, river canal projects, amongst others, all of which are likely to benefit its Eastern neighbours. In this issue brief, we highlight the need for interdisciplinary engagements and conversations. Privileging the ecological cartography of South Asia and highlighting the interactive components that exist between the Tibetan plateau and the Bay of Bengal, we draw attention to an emerging assemblage of actors, where states, multilateral development banks and civil society can play an important role through a multilayered, multi-level governance framework.