The Centre is scaling up efforts to transform the Brahmaputra River into a major economic and connectivity corridor for the Northeast, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said on Tuesday while reviewing key river development initiatives in Guwahati.
Speaking at the High Powered Review Board (HPRB) meeting of the Brahmaputra Board, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is pursuing an integrated strategy that combines inland waterways, trade, tourism, flood management and sustainable river basin planning to unlock the river’s economic potential.
“At the heart of this strategy is the recognition of the Brahmaputra not merely as a river, but as a critical national asset capable of driving connectivity and economic growth across the Northeast,” Sonowal said.
The minister highlighted the role of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) in developing the Brahmaputra, designated as National Waterway-2 (NW-2), into a key inland transport corridor connecting Assam and the Northeast with Kolkata and Haldia ports through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route.
According to the ministry, projects worth nearly ₹751 crore have already been completed in Assam, including terminals at Pandu, Dhubri and Jogighopa, along with floating jetties and upgraded shore infrastructure. Ongoing projects valued at over ₹1,100 crore include fairway development, ship repair facilities, tourist jetties and a Regional Centre of Excellence in Dibrugarh.
The Centre is also planning a fresh investment pipeline of around ₹4,800 crore for the Northeast over the next five years. The projects include construction of community jetties, cargo vessels, dredgers, cruise terminals and urban water transport systems aimed at improving connectivity and logistics in riverine areas.
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal stressed the need for an integrated river development strategy that combines flood management, erosion control, dredging and infrastructure development to ensure year-round navigability of the Brahmaputra.
“Developing the Brahmaputra is about creating a resilient and sustainable river ecosystem that supports connectivity, commerce and communities,” he said, adding that advanced technologies such as GIS-based planning, LiDAR and hydrological modelling would be used for scientific river basin management.
The minister also welcomed the Centre’s State Water Reforms Framework initiative, which aims to strengthen sustainable water governance across states.
At the policy level, the Brahmaputra Board is being repositioned as a technology-driven river basin organisation with plans for digital governance systems, data-driven monitoring and the revitalisation of research institutions like the North Eastern Hydraulic and Allied Research Institute (NEHARI).
The government views the Brahmaputra as a strategic component of its Act East Policy, with inland waterways emerging as a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternative to road and rail transport.
The ministry noted that cargo movement on national waterways has increased significantly from 18 million metric tonnes in 2014 to more than 218 million metric tonnes in 2025-26, reflecting the rapid growth of inland water transport in the country and particularly in the Northeast.
In the coming years, the Northeast is expected to witness the development of 79 community jetties, expansion of the Regional Centre of Excellence in Dibrugarh and the ship repair facility at Pandu, along with construction of customs and immigration infrastructure at strategic river ports.
Officials said the projects are aimed at improving navigability, boosting logistics efficiency and unlocking the economic potential of river-based transport, while addressing challenges such as heavy sediment load, shifting river channels and recurring floods through scientific river basin management.
The meeting was attended by Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Paatil, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary and ministers from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura, along with officials and technical experts associated with the Brahmaputra Board.
